


Heart of Series: Fictober 2019 Book

by your_dragon_just_shot_at_me



Series: Heart of - Detective Pikachu [2]
Category: POKEMON Detective Pikachu (2019), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, 名探偵ピカチュウ | Detective Pikachu (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Detectives, Disaster, F/M, Fictober 2019, Fluff, Harry does a lot of dumb things, dumb luck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2020-11-22 08:49:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 24,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20871470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/your_dragon_just_shot_at_me/pseuds/your_dragon_just_shot_at_me
Summary: Shorts based on prompts from tumblr for Fictober 2019. Unless noted, all should relate to my previous work, Heart of Gold, including Original Characters introduced there.





	1. Day 1: It will be fun, trust me

**Author's Note:**

> A few of the original characters will be introduced in the sequel to Heart of Gold (Heart of Darkness) which I am still working on at this time.

Tim’s eyes wandered behind Alison, to those bratty coworkers of hers and back again. “T-target practice?”

“Your dad said you needed more training.” Sure, play the innocent little girl.

“Em! Em!” Traitorous partner, agreeing.

“It will be fun! Trust me.” With that she walked away with a patronizing pat on the shoulder.

“Oh, you poor man. You are dead.”

“She will kill you. I can see the headlines now.”

“That’s not funny.” Their running commentary was old. He’d endured it for months now.

“Target practice?” Investigator Stone giggled, “You’ll be target practice. It was nice getting to know you, Goodman.”

* * *

His score was abysmal, completely unsurprising. Emolga even beat him.

“Told you it would be fun!” Alison’s plastic blaster balanced on her shoulder she as she sat against Run, Zombie, Run’s console. “Want to play again?”


	2. Day 2: Just follow me, I know the area

Some nights all Alison was up for was sitting on the couch with a League match on tv and reading, this was one of those nights. He’d read the book three times now and there was no need to read it a fourth time but her notes were…so insanely accurate. And funny. 

Em curled up between her feet, snoring, as the rain pattered on the window and a rerun of last weekend’s Indigo League match flashed on the tv. 

“You’ve been on that page forever.” Always perceptive. “Just ask.” Carefully untangling herself from the blanket, making sure not to wake Emolga, she wrapped her arms around his neck, nuzzling in and not so secretly reading the page he was on. “Seriously?” 

“What happened?” 

“Your father happened.” 

“But what happened?” 

Trying to distract him with a peck, slyly turning into a little nibble on his ear, he would not be deterred. “Fine. Have you ever followed him?”

“Yes.” 

“Did you get arrested?” Oh. “Ass kicked?” Yeah. “Almost killed?” His silence spoke volumes. “Yeah. Thought so.” 

“But I kind of want to hear the story about this one.” 

“Of course you do.” Before she could let out another annoyed sigh, Tim spun her around to land on her lap in a fit of giggles. “Fine, fine. It actually started with Bernie.” 

“Really?” 

* * *

“Bernie!’ Cu threw the light debris everywhere. The front desk had been demolished. All the furniture sat in ruins but none of those had blood pooling underneath. Alison had a flashlight out, reaching under what had once been a counter. “Bernie, are you there? Can you hear me?” 

A weak groan was the only response she got before a flurry of, “Cu! Cubone!” 

“The ambulance will be here soon.” Harry careened through the place the door should have been. 

“Where’s the fire?” 

“We put out the fire.” Moving Cu to the side, “Help me get the counter off.” 

On the count of three they hauled the counter several feet away, a new cloud of dust and debris making them cough and sputter. 

“What happened?” Harry stripped off his hoodie, pressing it to Bernie’s bleeding shoulder. 

“Team Flare happened!” Testing the rubble, Cu smashed the broken pieces of counter further. “Someone decided not to treat one of the ‘mons! I told you what would happen!” 

“I don’t treat Teams.” Great time to get all high and mighty. 

“And this is what happens!” 

“Ok, enough!” Harry had reserved the hard stare for her, not Bernie, which was completely unfair. “The ambulance is on it’s way!” 

“Who was it?” But she shrugged at him. “Who? I know you know.” 

“Yeah, maybe.” Harry was pressing her, really? Just after she’d left Team Skull. Really? “Mr. G.” 

“Alison Angeles.” 

“Still sounds weird.” 

“Who?” 

This was a bad idea. Like, absolutely terrible. “Do you know who Xerxes is?” 

* * *

After Bernie was safely aboard the ambulance and on the way to the hospital did Harry return to their conversation. 

“Xerxes?” Rarely did Bernie cause a stir, but when he did…wow. Like every transgression she ever got Harry involved in did not amount to this. 

“Witness protection, new identity. Like the only way.” 

“Cu!” 

“No.” 

“Yes.” 

“Let’s go.” 

“You are not seriously walking up to the psycho who thinks he is the flower child of freaking Xerosic and trying to finance his absolutely asinine little science projects!” 

“Which science project would that be?” Damn. He was fishing. And then…then he said those fucking words. “Just follow me, I know where I’m going.”

“Do you know what you’re doing?” Because she had a knife and Cu and he had his Pikachu and some sort of twisted type of valor that was going to get them killed. 

“Of course.”

* * *

Harry Goodman, did not know what he was doing. There was no plan. Because if he did have one, if he seriously knew what he was doing, nothing would have ended up like it did. 

Both of them stared sadly at the crumbling facade of a former warehouse. For such a young and new city this building looked like it had been here for centuries. 

“Someone did not get the memo if they want to join Team Flare.” Harry even laughed at his own joke. “Not nearly enough flare for Team Flare.”

“I’m not going in there.” Rarely did she respond to his jokes anymore. 

“Yes, you are.” 

“No, I’m not.” 

“You’re my backup!” 

“I’m 17! You brought a teenager as backup?” 

“Why did you follow me?”

“Morbid curiosity about how you are going to die.” The truth hurts. 

“You’re going in.” 

“Only to see how you…” Harry started toward the front door, like an idiot. “Oh, not that way.” Alison stuck a finger in the air, not the one she usually reserved for Mr. I’m-so-smart-I’m-going-to-run-in-and-get-myself-killed Goodman. 

“The roof.”

“Cu and I will watch from the vents.”

* * *

He did it. That stupid son of a bitch walked right in the front door and right up to Xerxes. Faded red suits of a few former grunts for Team Flare circled him as they’d discussed new genetic modifications to test. Unlike city ordinances, there were plenty of pokeballs around the makeshift lab. Their crawling through the vents meant her and Cu had missed his grand entrance. 

“I’m sorry, who are you again?” 

“That’s not exactly important.” Harry’s ad lib hurt, physically hurt her. Pikachu even seemed unsettled because he knew he was going to end up having to fight his way out of this. “What is important is what I can do for you if you leave the medic alone.” 

“Medic?” Xerxes consulted his grunts. “What medic?” 

“Sir, the one who would not treat the Larvesta you liberated from Team Rocket.” 

“Ah, yes. Did we dispose of that useless man?” 

“We tried.” 

“Tried is not succeeding. Dad will not approve.”   
“Have you talked with Xerosic recently? I mean….you are his son, right?” Dangerous slope he’d started on. Was this even considered a plan? Xerxes, though, was at a loss. “Call off your next attack on my associate and I can get you in contact with dear old dad.”

While Xerxes pondered this concept, Cu heard something scuttling toward them. Clang. Clang. Clang. As it got closer Alison knocked a vent cover off. There were lots of legs traveling fast towards her and she was not battling in a vent. 

“What have we here?” Xerxes drawled. 

Slipping a knife out of her pocket, Alison tumbled out of the vent just as Spinark shot her and Cu with a web, slinging them to the vent. Upside down, Alison glared at Harry not to say it. 

“Great backup you are.” 

Oh! She’d get him back! 

“Cubone!” Several grunts shouted and the room filled with light as partners were released from their balls. Houndour, Kriketune, and the likely cause of the fire at Bernie’s clinic, Magmar. 

“You’re famous.” Harry groaned. 

Wriggling as much as she could, Alison tried to cut through the Spinark web, knowing full well that it would be impervious. The motion, though, made her and Cu swing a bit and look more flustered than she was until the vent above them started to cave. 

“So, you caused my grunts all that trouble.” 

“Shouldn’t have messed with my friend.” 

“Cubone!” He helped her swing, hoping that they could snap the web over something to cushion their landing. 

That was when Harry enacted his plan, because there had been one. The shell of one. Pikachu’s electricity circled him in a frenzied arc, building and sparking. 

“Do it, don’t hesitate.” Which if Harry was saying that meant he already had been hesitating. The Thunderbolt struck the vent toppling Alison and Cu right to the floor behind Xerxes. Pikachu rammed himself into the ‘head’ of Team Flare, knocking him and all his greater than she’d expected weight on top of Alison. 

“Aaargh!” Her arm snapped like a twig over a corner of the fallen vent. 

Xerxes, however, kicked with all his might, even trying to stand while stuck to the Spinark web. 

“That was your plan?” She yelled at Harry through the pain. “That’s barely a plan!”

* * *

“Wait, what happened?” 

“Your dad had called the Lieutenant and kept him on muted speaker phone during the whole thing.” 

“What happened to you?” 

Alison twisted her arm around, a nasty surgical incision scar, far different than her other cuts and stabbings that had scarred over. “Compound fracture. I went to the academy in a cast after surgery to have pins and a plate put in.” 

Pikachu dashed in, shaking off the rain. When Harry hung up his coat Tim shook his head vehemently, “How could you!” 

“What did I do?” 

“You gave her a compound fracture to get a guy from Team Flare arrested?” 

Harry looked just like a Magikarp gasping for air, “That was six years ago!” 

“You need to buy her ice cream.” 

“I agree. You need to buy me ice cream.” 

“I just got home! Pikachu doesn’t want to go back out in the rain.” 

“No one said Pikachu was going anywhere.” She’d already wrapped him in a blanket. 

Harry gaped at them but they just glared back. “That was six…years…fine.”


	3. Day 3: Now? Now you listen to me?

Certain notes Alison had made in her copy of the Ryme Province Private Investigator Licensing Handbook confused him. Alison had been clear that she wrote it as a guidebook to his father and her notes made complete sense. Things like, ‘Can’t lie to women’ and ‘Never just go with it’, then there were things like ‘Pidgeottos can hold more weight than you think’ and that didn’t seem to connect with his father at all. The more he read the book the more it kind of bugged him.

Hoping he wasn’t breaking her concentration, “Some of these notes are strange.”

“Your dad is strange.” The steady thump of a knife slicing through vegetables didn’t stop or even pause when she answered him.

“I am not,” both raised an eyebrow at him suspiciously and he stopped.

“It’s a guidebook to one Harry Goodman.”

“Pika pika pika!”

“Pikachu obviously agrees with me.”

Muttering to himself, Tim waited for his dad to pass behind him in his pacing before trying another way to ask Alison but his dad lurked. Long enough to read over his shoulder, “Pidgeo-oh. Oh. Ooooh.”

Alison avoided eye contact. His dad hopped back to his desk and hid behind his ledger. Even actually logging receipts.

“Ok, now I need to know.”

“Do you?” Harry was even organizing the receipts.

Pushing all the vegetables and meat into the searing hot pan caused an uproar of sizzling and two salivating Pokemon whipping their tails happily in his face.

* * *

  
  
Cu looked worriedly over the side of the building. Fifteen stories up with few options.

“Cu?”

“No. No way.”

“Pikachu.” Alison looked back at Harry jamming everything he could find under the door handle and into the frame to try to keep the door closed. It wouldn’t hold long and there was almost nothing onthe roof that was actually of help.

“So?” He called to her but she was running, full sprint at him, grabbing his arm and dragging him to the edge.

“Pidgeotto.”

“What?”

“Yeah.”

“Now? Now you listen to me?” He leaned over the edge and wind whipped their hair around.

“Yeah,” she replied far more glumly as she gulped down the lump in her throat. “I mean, it was your grand plan.” Muffled shouts and a hard clanging on the door made Alison pick up the pace. “Pikachu, Cu, now would be a good time. Could you...uh...” Alison waved at a flock of Pidgeottos circling buildings. They made calls out to the flock, trying to get their attention.  
The door cracked behind them and that was that. They had to do it. Alison took five giant steps back, grabbing Cu and taking another sprint again, this time toward the ledge and leaping right over with Cu.

“I can’t believe she listened to me. Whoa!” The door flew off the hinges and Harry didn’t even bother with the steps back. Pikachu made his own leap and caught hold of a passing Pidgeotto. Less weight to drag it down. Alison and Cu’s struggled and crashed but she was up and running in seconds.  


* * *

  
“You jumped? Off a building?” Tossing the food around the pan Alison only nodded. “You jumped...like...why? Why would you do that?”

From across the room, Harry looked at Alison. She looked right back, lips pressed in a hard line and shook her head just slightly. Harry chewed on his lip.

Meanwhile Emolga and Pikachu ignored everyone, scuttling closer to the pan and tried to snatch a hot piece of meat.

“Not important.” They said in strained unison with an understanding to not even look at Tim again because whichever one cracked first he was likely to attack the other.

As she slid the food onto a plate she quietly added, “Had to document that he was right about something. I mean I did survive.” Suddenly, Tim was much less hungry.


	4. Day 4: I know you didn't ask for this

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note, this one shot is a nightmare and the after effects. Triggers may include being trapped, blood and PTSD like reaction.

Sharp claws tore into her skin. Burning and dripping and cold although people always expected them to be hot. For a gas it felt solid and gripped her hard, holding her from running. No matter how she tried she could pry her arm free.   
Haunters couldn’t salivate since they weren’t exactly corporeal but he looked like he was. Drip, drip. Clawing harder at him she didn’t feel the other presence until it was just behind her. She smelt him. Poison gas burning her nose. 

“No! No!” Alison cried. “Please. Not again.” 

Where was she? Everything was dark, where was the exit? A door. A window? Not that it would matter if she couldn’t get free. And she couldn’t catch her breath. 

Each one of her breaths was coming in shorter rasps now. “Please.” Sobs shuddered through her. Haunter’s other hand clasping her other wrist. “Stop.” Her head spun. She was breathing but felt like she was suffocating. The air was so thin...was she even getting oxygen or was it all just Ghastly? “Not again.” Pearly white teeth gleamed at her. The void where his mouth stretched open loomed over her.

* * *

Whatever her dreams were, they’d gotten worse as the week went on. Most nights she fell asleep watching tv with him while either of them worked. Whimpers and the occasional toss and turn would interrupt him then settled down once Tim stroked her hair or rubbed her back. Tonight’s was different. 

Nothing was settling her down.

Beyond the whimpering Alison thrashed about on his lap. Mumbling over and over again the same thing, “No, not again. No...” She even mentioned Ghastly, at least he thought she did.

He’d tried shaking her awake. Nothing. 

Rolling around she finally woke with a start. Crashing up her forehead cracked his jaw making him see stars. “Ah,” fresh tears pooled as she fell off the couch and into the table. She tripped over it, toppling over again, searching for whatever had been in her dream. 

Tim reached for her arm to stop her long enough to show her she was safe in her apartment but she screeched and broke free. Emolga popped up from her high perch on the cat tree, crackling and growling. 

“Whoa, Emolga. Calm down. It’s just a nightmare.” He hoped. 

Staggering around, Alison had broken into a cold sweat that dispersed the small trickles of blood running from her hair in all directions. 

“Fuck. Where? Where did it go?” Every breath a huge gulp of air. 

“Alison?” She’d stopped at the window, searching the night sky. “Alison? You’re home.” His jaw throbbed but the stars were fading. Taking her shoulder she jumped back again into the window, her elbow nearly breaking the glass. “OK, hey. Hey, it’s just me.” 

“AH!” A thick glob of blood streamed out her nose and into her mouth which seemed to wake her from her daze. “Tim!” And suddenly she crashed into his arms. 

Scrambling up the curtains Emolga scanned the street and sky. She must not have seen anything out of the ordinary. 

“Emolga?” Gliding from the curtain Emolga tried to land on her shoulder. Tim caught her before Alison could lash out at her little partner.

“Oh my god. Em, I-I...” 

“No! No, no, no. She was just trying to help.” Tim chased her into the bathroom, stopping the door with his foot. 

“Em em em em emolga?” Emolga chittered sadly. 

“Hey, she just wanted to see if you were ok. A-are you?” 

“It’s fine, Tim. T-this isn’t your problem.” Even her voice shook now. “I know you didn’t sign up for this. Ok? I’ll be fine. Just let me…” 

“Emolga!!!!” A teeth jarring screech startled them. Tim glanced back at Emolga in the little kitchenette pushing a full tea kettle of water over the stove and then batting at the dial to ignite the flame. 

“Em!” Wobbly hands fiddled with the stove knob to help turn it on. They weren’t really working right and she couldn’t get the knob pushed in enough to get it started. “What are you doing?” 

“Trying to help.” Gently pulling Alison to the side he wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and started the stove. Kettle, tea, sugar. Tim carefully made sure the little cast iron tea pot was clean before filling the basket with tea. “And,” Tim poured boiling water in the small kettle, “this is exactly what I signed up for.” His hands trailed up and down her arms trying to quell the last of the tremors. Asking about the nightmare could wait. It could even wait forever. Scooping up Emolga so she could hug her partner and pressing a long kiss into her hair. “Let’s clean you up.” 

Sacrificing a kitchen towel to wipe up the blood he worked up the courage to ask Alison a question when she pointed at the tea brewing, “I didn’t know you knew how to make tea. I mean-I…”

“I’ve watched you enough times.” She let out a nervous giggle when Emolga nuzzled her chest, “Em has too, apparently.” 

“Yeah.” He could tell her nerves were starting to wear down. She was always so self conscious about her Kanto habits that made her stand out. A loud buzz interrupted them. 

Emolga dove down and pulled the phone from her pocket. “Hi, Bernie,” they said. 

“Whoa, Angel, dear. Are you ok?” 

Eyes downcast, “Yeah. Fine.” And she shoved the phone at Tim then poured her tea into a mug. 

“What happened?” 

“She was-uh-napping.” 

“Napping? In a bar with whiskey, maybe?” 

“No.” A lightning bolt zapped the phone in Tim’s hand, landing charred on the counter. Tim threw a cup of water on it and then turned on Emolga. 

Alison petted Em’s head and she churred happily. “I paid for good insurance. You know, since I’m around Electric Types a lot.” 

“Her aims gotten better.” And his chest felt tight.


	5. Chapter 5

Ah, the smell of burning. With an Electric type that could mean any number of things. Alison unlocked the Goodman’s door, hoping Pikachu hadn’t done anything too bad. There was the one time she had to rewire the entire office. Rip out all the drywall on one wall even.

“Hey, what....what is that?” Emolga retched on her shoulder.

Tim forced a smile up, hoping she’d understand. She did, but it was still painful because she wanted nothing more than to cover her nose and run instead.

“Happy birthday!” Harry presented her with a burnt and still smoking pan.

“I didn’t know it was your birthday.” Holding back his gag reflex as best he could when Harry swung back around.

“It’s not.”

“Well, no not technically. But I missed Tim’s birthday this year since he was still in Leaventown.” Piling what was once white rice on plates Harry scooped a few spoonfuls of his mystery dinner next. “And since she won’t tell me when her birthday is...”

“And the Lieutenant is sworn to secrecy.“

“Cruel by the way, and yes, I made the day we faked your death your new birthday.”

The two little Electric types huddled together, chittering and chirping like they were planning their escape.

“Isn’t that great?” Tim frowned.

“Super great.” She’d forgotten. Usually she kept an eye on the date but this year she was a bit...distracted. “Just...super, Mr. G.” Oh lord the smell was overpowering. “Did you help, Tim?”

“Nooooo. No, I did not.” Inhaling was a challenge as Harry slid a plate to each of them. “Wouldn’t let me.”

“Last few years you’ve missed birthday dinners being out on assignment.”

“Gee, go figure.” Tim slid the ‘birthday girl’ her plate first. “Take a bite.”

“Heh, crazy timing.” A large lump formed in her throat. She was never able to eat

Harry Goodman’s cooking. But he insisted, it was family tradition on someone’s birthday.

One bite, she had to endure at least one bite if Tim did.

“Oh.” Tim tried to swallow without chewing but the chunks were too big. “That has a certain taste to it.”

“Charcoal?”

“Curry! Alison loves curry.”

“Curry.” Completely and utterly indecipherable without that handy clue.

Pikachu’s ears fell, “Pika?” He shook his head at the food, pushing the plate away.

“Oops.” God she hoped it looked natural that all her utensils dropped at her feet. “Need a clean fork. Oh, don’t get up, I got it.” Rummaging through the drawer gave her enough noise to cover her tracks. All she did was twist a knob then she sat back down. “Pikachu, you _love_ curry too. Aren’t you _excited_?”

“Pi pi pi! Pika pika!” The little guy agreed, trying to feign excitement. He hopped around with his fork in a happy little dance. All of this excitement confused Emolga who just kept wrinkling her nose at the ‘food’.

“Careful,” Harry started too late.

A spark ignited the stove. The entire stove. Slight miscalculation on her part.

“Whoa!” Bonking heads with Alison who’d jumped the counter Tim turned and started to corral the Pokemon away from the flames.

“Oh,” Alison dropped the fire extinguisher, “you used it and didn’t replace the extinguisher!”

“OK, out! Everyone out,” Tim was already dialing 9-1-1.

Shoving him out the door, “Oh, I might just kiss you.” Turning to see what he’d done Alison thrust Pikachu in his arms, “I was talking to him.”

* * *

Two firefighters found them in the alley, with Pikachu and Emolga. Their stomachs emptied onto the pavement.

“Been a few years, Miss Angeles.” Trying to be polite her smile twisted unnaturally and the heaving started again. “We found the culprit. What was it this year?”

“Curry.”

“He tries.”

“We’ll give you boys a warning next time.” Alison doubled over behind the dumpster. Again.

Both chuckled just the tiniest bit, “Happy birthday.”


	6. Day 6: Yes, I am aware. What's your point?

Obviously Emolgas are great climbers. They need to get high up so they can glide to the next tree or building. Made sense she would pick a partner as crazy and death defying as her.

“Alison, come down!”

“The view is great up here! Hey, Caterpies infested this tree.”

Based on his snickering Jack loved every second of this. “She’s...uh....entertaining.” Sure, that was a way to put it. Take her out to the fields near the forest of his hometown, what did he think was going to happen with his crazy daredevil of a girlfriend. This was actually tame compared to, well, any time she was in a bar, near a bar, napping. “You’re acting like my mom.”

“Yes, I am aware.” Tim sighed. He would not climb up after her. “What is your point?”

“Just that you sound like an old woman. We used to climb trees all the time.” Jack tossed a pokeball around from hand to hand. Neither could even see her with how high she’d climbed.

“We were kids and I remember you getting vertigo when we got more than ten feet off the ground.” Tim gave up looking for her. “Then you fell out and broke your arm.”

“I don’t remember that.”

“You said the nurse at the clinic...”

“I remember the nurse...” Naturally.

Branches rustled above them, bright green leaves raining down on them as Alison jumped from one branch to the next to get down the tree.

“Don’t you want to come up?”

Before either could come up with an excuse an explosion roared through the trees, causing a rush of Pidgeys, Butterfrees and Spearows into the sky.

“Whoa.” Alison held tight to the branches above and below her but still stayed, miraculously, in the tree. “What do you think it could be?”

Another blast shook them again. “Looks like it came from near the river,” Jack said while he was already turning toward the town.  
Hopping down Alison ran off.

“W-where is she going?” Jack realized no one was following him.

The second the first explosion hit he knew this would happen. “Toward the dangerous and very deadly explosion. Of course.” He had no choice now. “I’m a glorified babysitter.” 

Emolga burst from the branches gliding after her partner. Trees gave way to the tall grasses of the hills and that made it easier to see where she was going.

Towards the river where another clap of thunder erupted. Emolga had gained enough altitude she was just gliding through the field, avoiding the straggling Pidgeys that flew from the thunderous booms.

Jack had a harder time keeping up, therefore he didn’t see Alison dive under the attack of the crazed Lucario. Searing through the grass a purple beam cut towards a man.

Alison narrowly missed the beam and aimed a kick at each leg on Lucario while Emolga balled herself up midair and let loose a sphere of manic electricity. Jumping to her feet, Alison slammed into the trainer, sending them toppling over each other but away from another blast of Dragon Pulse.

Jack stopped short with him, “Oh, fucking fantastic. Isn’t that -“

“Ethan.”

Ethan Harding. The Harding Family. Also known as the richest people to live in a little town for no reason other than to flaunt their wealth. And the single worst thing to happen to Tim and Jack since childhood. At least until he turned 11 and they were able to cope for a few years while he was off on his journey. Then he came back with several gym badges and a personal trainer and several of the strongest Pokemon he could capture. Because they were sure no one would willingly want to be his partner. Oh, and his delusions to become a League Champion.

“We should get out of here.” He was preaching to the choir, but it had to be said for posterity sake. He really wanted out of there before Ethan saw them. Also before him or his girlfriend actually got hit by one of those errant attacks the Lucario seemed to be doling out haphazardly.

Alison, for her part, was trying hard to keep Ethan from being attacked. And Ethan was trying just as hard to get back to the Lucario.

“Get out of my way, you dumb bitch.”

“You’re going to get yourself killed! He’s gone completely loco.”

Ethan proclaimed, “He wouldn’t dare hurt me.” Just as another strike, with a bone, catapulted them into the air.

“Yeah. Wouldn’t dare.” Tim dashed through the mayhem, Emolga easily dodging the attacks and unleashing wave after wave of electricity to no avail.

“Grand. We’re all saved because Tim Goodman showed up. Going to bore Lucario to sleep with an insurance sales pitch?”

“Friend of yours?” Alison dragged Tim onto her before he became a crater.

“Because he’s charming.”

Ethan closed in on his partner, “Lucario! Stop!” A gleam in Lucario’s eye brought Tim back to the first evening he was in Ryme. The way the Aipom lost control and the unnatural way their eyes glowed.

“Ethan!” Tim called too late. Lucario struck his partner in the chest with a powerful kick, sending him staggering back. Once. Twice.

Jack tugged at their arms, trying to lead them away while Lucario was distracted.

“Let’s go.” But Ethan tumbled over himself after another blow from Lucario. “Before he realizes we’re here.”

Tim hadn’t realized how close to the river they were but without the blasts to cover the water flowing below he understood what was likely to happen next. The same thought flashed in Alison’s eyes too.

Ethan rolled off the edge of the small cliff, limp, and splashed below in the swollen, raging river.

Stripping off her hoodie, “Damn it.” Alison dove after the dumbass, but not before shoving Lucario down as well.

“She jumped.” Jack wavered a little.

“Yeah.”

“She is one badass traffic cop.”

How much longer could he really keep Jack and his Gram convinced Alison was only a traffic cop?


	7. Day 7: No! And that's final!

“No! And that’s final!” Alison didn’t stop, like she ever actually listened to Harry Goodman. She was checking the weapons in her bag as, both, Pikachu and Emolga hopped around playing a game of electric tag. Her knife slid out of the sheath, repeatedly. Each time snapping harder and harder. “I-I said no!” His dad faltered back when she grabbed the stun gun clicking the trigger. Click. Crackle. Crackle. Her face lit menacingly. Ending the game, Emolga trotted over to her partner, the crackling electricity calling to her. Putting on her ‘game face’, as Alison called it, every hair on Emolga bristled with faint crackles of electricity snapping and popping right along with the stun gun. A complete, and terrifying, one-eighty. “This is absolutely crazy!” It was. Like really, really crazy. And coming from his father just hammered home the point. But she wasn’t listening at all. She was trying on some bulky gloves, far less menacing than her previous weapons. 

Tim knew better than to get in the middle of these two because it was a no win for him and he was much more scared of his girlfriend than his dad and Pikachu.  
Oh, and Sebastian. 

“Love? What...is so important-? No, scratch that. What is that man doing here?” His dad had, theoretically, not stepped foot in the Roundhouse since he’d beaten Seb’s Charizard in the ring. You know, not counting his time as Pikachu where he also, kind of, beat Charizard again. 

She just flicked her wrist a few times finally breaking her silence to curse. A bright flash momentarily blinded her as metal darts flew at Seb. Screaming like a scared child. Heh. 

“Hey, Charizard.” A sweet lilt to her voice. Dangerous. Very dangerous. “Want to learn a new move?” Twirling an electronic head piece around on one hand she presented a biometric file. All part of the newest tech based on Psychic Type communication to teach a Pokemon new moves. All from Clifford Industries, and more importantly her friend’s department that she was probably not supposed to have. “Iron Tail.” 

“Wha-?”

“Unless we’re all ok with Ryme getting a new crater near here. Actually, this could all be water front property after tonight.”

More likely it would all be flooded and Seb’s new Magikarp would get to be one of many fish in the sea. 

“Or do you boys want to come with me? Try to talk it out with the dumbass Team Aqua grunts that are planning to sink the city?” 

Those were supposed to be rhetorical questions yet Tim was astonished that Seb and his dad were pausing to think. 

“No,” they finally answered.

Pikachu’s fur seemed to fluff out, more faint crackles and pops, but as he rubbed his cheeks and started a little chant of, “Pika pika pikachu!” Which made Tim back away. He’d been electrocuted enough. 

“Want me to bring Tim?” 

“No!” 

“Do you want to join me?” 

“Hell no.” Sebastian straightened his coat reflexively. Back to strapping weapons on to her, in her pockets, shoving them in her boots, Charizard nudged her excitedly because he was ready to go! “What are you planning to do about it?” 

With a mischievous grin she replied, “What I do best.”

Having noticed the same gleam Seb was ready to make quick friends with Harry, “Wh-what does she do best?” 

“Drunken bar fights.” 

“Creating havoc.” Tim added. 

“Oh, that’s not just here, eh?” No. No it was not.

Sounding like she was borrowing a car, “Ok. Taking Charizard. Don’t worry. I’ll bring him back!” 

Well, Tim was impressed. She got out of the building without screaming or threatening anyone. Harry wasn’t swearing. Seb wasn’t…he wasn’t sure what Sebastian would even do. They both seemed more shocked than anything that she’d just walked out to go face down insane Team Aqua grunts. 

Based on scrolling through news sites and social media no one had picked up on this yet. He didn’t think he’d have to talk Lucy out of being anywhere near the pier. He could go home, which was far away from the danger and let Yoshida know and-the door was locked. Tim shook the door, which gave a little but not far. 

“Hey, I think she locked us in here.” He thrust his shoulder into the door again. 

“Don’t, I have my keys.” Seb freaked, hating anyone hurting his baby. As in the Roundhouse. Or Charizard. Or anything he owned. 

The doors gave just enough he could shine a light on the pad lock and chain.  
Harry had a different concern. “Where’s Pikachu?” 

They were off in different directions, checking all the doors. All were chained shut. And not a partner in sight. No, he didn’t consider Magikarp a partner. 

“Oh, I think I created a monster.” 

“You!” Another thing to blame Harry for. “She’s like this because of you?”


	8. Day 8: Can you stay?

Piercing wails woke him. 12:33. Ugh, he’d barely been asleep an hour. Tim had tossed and turned worrying about the things his Gram had said about Alison, with frantic hope that she’d heard none of it.   
Why did the Harvest Festival always seem to fall near the full moon? He should have brought ear plugs. 

“Emolga?” Great. 

“Em, it’s just a Cubone. Please go back to sleep.” Seconds ticked by and she kept patting his arm repeating ‘Emolga’ over and over. “Em, seriously, it’s just...” Shit. A Cubone. 

Ripping the blanket off Tim skidded into the couch which was a tangle of sheets and an empty pillow. He started searching out the windows. _Where was she? Where did she go?_

Out the kitchen window, at the outer edge of his Gram’s property, was a field. A few trees were nothing more than ink blots against the starry night sky. A dull thunk thunk coming from that direction. He grabbed a blanket, hoisted Em to his shoulder and went out searching for Alison, following the thunks.   
Her dark pants and oversized shirt hid her well in the night, he only found her because of her bare shoulder standing out against the background. Rhythmically she beat the ground with a stick like weapon she carried sometimes, like batons but always in a pair. 

“Hey,” his voice came out in a faint whisper, trying not to startle her. She paused in her beating while he covered her in the blanket. “Couldn’t sleep?” 

She shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. Over the last few months he noticed that her sleep had gotten better, for the most part. She even slept in her own bed again. This would be a huge step back. 

“It’s almost the full moon.” 

“Yeah.” Her eyes stayed focused on the tall grass in the field. The wailing, at least the closest one, had subsided but in the distance was more. The hills housed lots of Cubone and Marowak and this seemed to be the time of year that more Cubone lost their mothers. You could hear them nearly every night but this was the worst because of the impending full moon. “Can I stay?” 

“Can you stay?” She was distracted, mumbling more to herself than anything. He took her return to beating the ground as an invitation to sit. Approval came as she scooted into him as she covered his legs with the blanket between beats. “I hate every minute of being alone.” Emolga whimpered though they both knew she hadn’t meant anything mean by it. And...

He knew. There had been no need to say it. He saw it every time she looked at a picture of Cu or in the depths of night when Em slept in another room and she awoke alone and sought him out on the couch. 

Her braid, thick and weighty, dug into his chest uncomfortably. Pulling it loose and draping it over her shoulder he played with her stray hairs. “You don’t have to be alone.” A quiet murmur was all her got in return. “I lov-” Oh, he almost slipped up. “I understand.” He wasn’t sure when it happened just that it had and he was absolutely sure of it. And when he’d tried she’d said she wasn’t ready and he’d respect that. If only he could keep his dumb mouth in check. “What are you doing?” He needed to change the subject before he said something truly stupid. 

“Trying to sound like his mom.” Cubone did beat the ground before an attack. He’d never thought that maybe they did it for other reasons. Emolga laid against them, watching the grass expectantly. They could see some grass shuffling around, although that could be the wind. 

White, bright and brilliant in the moonlight, peaked through the grass, and teetered. Alison kept with the rhythmic beating, luring him closer. 

“Cubone!” He said warningly. His own tiny bone club stuck out in a display of, attempted, aggression. But he didn’t seem to know how to be aggressive yet. 

Em perked up. Her tail whipped him in the leg, ears twitching longingly for him to come closer.

“Cubone?” 

Making his way into the open field he spotted them at the tree, now stark still except for the tapping.

“You’re tiny, huh, bone man?” As he waddled closer the skull he wore tottered around, falling over his eyes every few steps. “I won’t hurt ya.” Setting the sticks down Alison opened her arms ready to hug the little Cubone. “Look at how big the club is.” No matter how she tried to sound happy or enthusiastic there was a rather melancholy overtone. As sad as each, “Cubone,” he muttered. But soon enough he landed on Alison’s belly, hugging it until the bone club fell into the dirt. 

“Let’s stay a little while longer.” 

“As long as you want.” Tim curled his arms around her, Em and the Cubone and leaned into the tree.


	9. Day 9: Listen, I can't explain it, you'll just have to trust me!

Stone had been irritating her all day since his partner was out for whatever reason, so now he was her problem and she was at her wits end. It would have been one thing if he was helpful but he seemed to be getting in the way. Everything just piled up to form a migraine. 

Then Harry ran in. “Listen, I can’t explain it, you’ll just have to trust me.” 

Final straw. Right there. Harry thought she was going to follow him, Pikachu thought the same. Instead she clamped her handcuffs on each wrist. “Wha-?” Stone watched wordlessly as she dragged Harry to holding all while the little insolent Pikachu followed. 

“Either whatever is wrong is imminent and may or may not attack the precinct because you are here, or it’s just something you are blowing out of proportion and I need to fix.” The officers on duty helped her getting Harry in the holding cell. “I am not your on call handyman to fix every problem!”

* * *

Tim had been watching a house all day for any sign of who had been stealing top secret files from a Clifford Industries scientist. Alison had had the brilliant idea to place nanny cams around the house in flower bouquets and a teddy bear. Nothing yet, but the footage was streaming 24-7 to his dad’s cloud account, so he was hopeful. 

But he hadn’t heard anything from his father in hours. Setting an alert for the cams to notify him of motion in the house, he headed up town to the First Precinct. 

“Hey!” He’d hoped for more of a surprised reaction from his girlfriend not exasperated and teeth grinding. “What’s wrong?” 

“What if the gardener is sleeping with both of them?” 

“Shut. Him. Up.” Tim knew this wasn’t even her case Stone was spouting off about. Furthermore, she didn’t want to hear his outlandish theories, usually ever. It was nothing but regurgitated banal and vulgar ideas one after the other. 

“Oh. Ooooooh.” Stone listened to him as much as he listened to Alison. There was little he could do to help other than offer, “Want to grab dinner?” 

“Yes!” She answered before Stone could circle around on his theories. Tim constantly wondered how Kincaid put up with this day in and day out. 

“Have you seen my dad?”

She was so close to the door, close to freedom and apparently he snatched it away from her. She turned back on her heel and headed in the complete opposite direction. 

“Oh, thank goodness, Tim. Talk some sense into her.” Two, presumably heavily intoxicated men, slept on top of Harry’s shoulders, one holding Pikachu like a teddy bear. 

“Uh,” Tim looked to Alison for guidance but was met with stony silence. “Well, I mean-“ He tried again but ice dripped down his spine when Alison glared at him. “Dinner?” 

“Yeah, dinner.” 

“What about me?” His pleading calls stirred his new companions. “Let me talk to Hide.” 

“Yoshida knows where you are.” Waving on the way out the door she added, “Maybe we’ll be back after dinner.”


	10. Day 10: It's not always like this.

8:00 am. He felt like he’d overslept. Tim hadn’t, but after years at the insurance agency, when he would be in the office by 8:00 am sharp this was still strange and new. Also a benefit to working as a PI with your own schedule. Dragging the toothbrush along his teeth slowly Tim couldn’t shake the last of sleep from himself. 

The front door to the apartment shut, making him check his phone again. No appointments this morning. Tim stuck his head out of the bathroom in time to catch Pikachu who’d jolted awake and now clawed at his chest as he was thrust at Tim.

Back at the bed, Alison growled then flipped the large queen sized mattress, dumping his dad onto the floor. With a crash and a groan Harry ricocheted off the bedside table. 

He was at a loss for words as Alison passed by him again. “It’s not always like this. Is it?”

Even though the question wasn’t directed at her she answered, “No.” And stormed to the kitchen, growling more. 

Painstakingly, Harry got his feet under him. “I may have deserved that.” An unsightly welt already rising near his hair. 

“May have?” Came the screeching response. Tim knew enough to keep well back, even ducking away with Pikachu as apples and oranges whizzed past him. “May have?” And her voice went up an octave. “You. Told. The. Excadrills. Where. We. Were.” Each word punctuated with another flying fruit or piece of silverware when the fruit ran out. “Three days, Harry! Three days!”   
Fighting back, like children, Harry collected oranges and apples, “And he was going to die!” 

“Grand jury testimony! Now we have nothing!” 

“Your case was based on so little, go find more evidence to get a conviction!” Alison released a guttural scream, her chest heaving when Harry finally noticed, “Where’s Emolga?” 

Another barrage of bruised fruit, “At the clinic you dumbass! Aargh! And I didn’t say you were wrong!” 

“I didn’t say the same thing!” 

“Fine!” 

“Fine!” 

One last orange flew at his dad. Tim and Pikachu tilted into the hallway to check how safe it was for either of them. Alison hadn’t slept. He could see large bags under her eyes as well as matching purple and blue bruises forming. 

“The entire case.” She held the fruit bowl, contemplating smashing it on the counter. She could easily break it. Eventually, she set it down carefully. 

“He deserved to be...” 

“You can explain to Yoshida.”


	11. Day 11: What if I don't see it?

He’d been hesitant to ask for help, especially in the middle of the day. Yet here he was, a latte as an offering for middle of the day help so he didn’t screw up. 

“Good afternoon, Detective Goodman.” She didn’t even look away from her screen nor did Em stop flipping through a grooming magazine. Weird. “Stone smiled at you.” Yes, he supposed he had.

* * *

“Then I asked, ‘What if I don’t see it?’ And he just looked at me like I was completely missing something that was right in front of my nose.” Em tapped his hand each time the coffee cup made a revolution while he talked. The more Tim had said the more he felt like an idiot for even being here, wasting Alison’s time. 

And Stone and Kincaid’s by proxy. Apparently. “This is Detective Harry Goodman we’re talking about. He’s not so much a mentor as,” Stone tried to break his partner’s, ironically, stony silence, “The butt of a joke? I mean, can we even call a P.I. a detective.” 

“Hey!” Em bristled along with him, though crackling far more than he could. 

“At least I didn’t call you a dick.” Kincaid’s partner, a quiet Rowlet, ruffled at the jibe. Not a fan of his partner’s partner Rowlet fluttered to Alison’s desk eyeing the remnants of Em’s snacks. 

“Oh, I miss the guys who used to sit there.” 

“Didn’t they try to kill you?” He wasn’t even trying to resemble doing anything work related, tossing wadded up paper around. 

She was at least still reading her report one last time before submitting it to the Lieutenant. “Yeah, a few times. But they stayed the hell out of my business.” Well, that was a complete and utter lie. Tim knew it, she knew it. 

Little feet climbed onto his shoulder. “Am I missing something?” 

“I don’t know.” He still clung to the latte, it was a reward and it was taunting her. He wanted answers, not round about non-answers to make him think. 

“You’re telling me you don’t follow every one of my dad’s cases?” 

“I know of them. Not every detail.” Sure, he believed that. She wanted the coffee she’d give him more than that. A small staring contest ensued, though she tinged hers with a small pout. All he needed to hand over the coffee. “You’re a soft touch.” He’d take it since he loved hearing her giggle. “Look, if you think you’re missing something go back to the beginning and look at it again. Fresh eyes, new angle. New...what? Oh....that look is familiar.” 

“Yeah, I think you get it a lot.” Soft touch. She was his girlfriend, he didn’t exactly mind her doing those little things, like pouting, to get the cup of coffee he brought her. But their client, hadn’t she’d said the same thing when he was with her partner, a baby Kangaskhan. It reminded him so much of Cu, Alison’s former partner. 

“Ah, yes. I do know it well. It’s the ‘Fuck, Mr. G royally screwed me over to get his way on a case’ look. Shocker.” 

“That doesn’t make sense, we’re working on the same case.” 

“Are you?” 

“He wouldn’t…”

But really. “Yes, he would.” They said together. He was an idiot. Oh, he was a moron. His dad had him running around in circles with the client to get at the Pokemon. And now he was here instead of…

“Glad I could help,” she called after him as he ran down the stairs without so much as a goodbye. Emolga gave him a little, well deserved, kick when she jumped from his shoulder that he didn’t really register had happened until he was on the street and Tim realized what he’d done and sent a text. 

_Tim: I’ll make you dinner.   
_

_Alison: Dessert. ;)  
_

Done.


	12. Day 12: I never knew it could be this way

“Alison! Jack’s here. So is,” Tim stopped short. The bathroom was empty. He doubled back to his Gram’s room, the last place he’d actually seen her walking to and still nothing. 

Gram was still at work cleaning the blood stains from his shirt when he found her. “She said you’re a detective, you can find her.” 

She’d turned his romantic, though far less romantic than planned since his friends were tagging along, date into a scavenger hunt. 

“She’s never been to Leaventown before, right?” Jack asked after offering to search through her bag like a creep. 

Teddy, his other best friend that had left several years ago to study abroad at a tech firm in Sinnoh region, asked, “Maybe she really did need stitches.” 

Nope. She would just do that herself and disturb them all and fracture the perfect female image Jack has of her. 

“What about calling her?” Jack tossed him the phone sitting on the dresser. 

“That’s her phone.” Patting his pockets he realized something was missing. His phone. “Really?” Good thing he knew her password. She had very few apps. One stood out because she thought she was hilarious. ‘Boyfriend finder’. Cute. She had a GPS tracker on his phone. That was creepy. 

“Why is she...?” Oh. He was out the door before he knew what he was doing.

Jack and Teddy caught up eventually, out of breath and cursing him as he’d sprinted the entire way to the cemetery. 

“When was the last time you were here?” They’d always been hesitant to talk about anything that had to do with his mom. More than any of his friends Jack would broach these tough subjects at ridiculous times or, as was the case now he supposed, wholly appropriate times. And even though this was an appropriate time to ask Tim didn’t answer. The grave was clean. No moss or mildew. The grass around it freshly trimmed. And there his girlfriend sat, tendrils of incense weaving a path around her and a cluster of wild Pokemon. Local Pidgeys, a Tailow, a few Caterpies and Kakunas, even some Butterfree. 

Next to her a bucket and rag, a lunch and a blanket. Amber curls falling forward, her head bowed. She was even in a dress. 

“I never knew it could be this way.” Tim felt like he was an interloper listening in on a personal conversation. “You would be proud of the man your son grew into.” A Chikorita peered around the gravestone, looking right at Tim as he approached. “He’s...”

“What are you...?” Several Pokemon all jumped with her at the intrusion. “Sorry.” 

“Tim!” With little room to maneuver, Pokemon all crowding around them, Em scurried around to shoo them away. “I didn’t expect...I mean...” Her audience had grown to a size she hadn’t expected, including more humans than she’d expected. “What is Jack doing here?” 

“I went looking for you when he showed up to go with us to the festival.” 

“Ah, oh.” Suddenly hyper aware of herself she started fiddling with her hair, pulling on a curl repeatedly and tucking hair away only to pull it back forward again. All her little tells.

“What is all this?” 

“Oh, well, you know where I grew up.” Jack and Teddy had slowly made their way closer, both in ear shot now. Curling her fists into the hem of the dress Alison searched for the right words. “I just thought, you know, that you’d want to visit your mom and, well I wanted to tell her...” 

“I don’t really visit.” It came out cold which he didn’t mean.

“Oh.” Her fingers twists in knots, fiddling with the ring he’d given her. “I thought you might...want to pray but...I know you don’t and...” Whatever she’d been about to say he never knew. Abruptly standing and taking the bucket she hurried away with a mumbled, “I should take this back.” All words seemed wrong now, he couldn’t put together a coherent thought even. He was an absolute moron.

Teddy’s voice broke through his tangled thoughts, “She’s from Kanto, huh?” 

“How can you tell?” Jack let out a low whistle. The kind he reserved for pretty girls in short skirts and both Teddy and Tim smacked him. 

“They have distinct funeral traditions you Pignite.” 

Tim tried to find her again. He needed to say something, anything because not saying something felt like utterly screwing up after telling her just earlier in the day that he loved her. 

The cemetary’s gardener had a shed in the northern corner where he found her and the entourage of Pokemon bowing slightly and murmuring thanks. Em leading the pack back towards them. 

“Don’t touch that!” As if a switch had been flipped she sounded like her normal self once more, slapping Jack’s hand from the sandwich. “It’s for his mom, baka!” 

“Strange traditions.” Jack whined like he was genuinely hurt not to have her snack. 

“Give us a minute?” The only friend that understood, Teddy dragged Jack by the collar away. Little twitches persisted while she folded the blanket. “I actually haven’t been here since her funeral. Was it...?”

“It wasn’t very over grown. Needed a little,” her fingers fumbled on the blanket and it fell. “Shit.” Taking her warm hands in his Tim guided her back down into the grass with him. Thumb tracing each finger eased her into eventually wrapping herself around him. “I just wanted to....never mind. It’s stupid.” 

“I’ve never thought you were stupid.” Sitting together their fingers twined together. He could feel the ring bumping under his thumb with every calming pass. “What were you talking about? With my mom, I mean.”

“Uh.” Every couple breaths, as he continued his passes over her knuckles, her body relaxed, “Just...you.” 

Drawing her closer, “What’s this?” 

“An offering. It’s rude not to have enough for…”

“Did you have lunch out here?” 

He could feel her muscles tense in her arms, “Maybe.”


	13. Day 13: I can't come back

“She is not staying in this house. If you had _any_ sense you wouldn’t have brought someone like that to this town!”

Were these words actually coming out of his Gram’s mouth? Was this actually happening?

“What are you talking about?” He’d never known his Gram to ever have so much venom in her voice, to carry so much hate. Ever. Tim had been gone months and this was the greeting he got. “What? Are you saying I can’t come back? Because, I wasn’t coming back without Alison. And I’m not sending her home without me. I wanted you to meet the woman I…”

“You spend a few months in the city and this is what happens? I should have known. We sheltered you here. All you kids but…”

“Gram! You haven’t even spoken to her!” He hadn’t realized his voice had raised all the way to shouting. “You know nothing about her!”

“She’s on a Team, Timothy!” Her tattoo. Buried among all of them, that little symbol neither even thought about anymore. “We have been so fortunate in this town keeping it Team free and _you_ brought one here.”

It was almost laughable, though it was the absolute wrong time to laugh. “Gram, she’s not…”

“I saw it, Tim! Team Skull.”

“So what if she was? She’s not now. Do you really think you raised someone so-”

“-naive! It’s what you are if you think someone could ever leave a Team.”

“I didn’t expect you, _you of all people_, to be so short sighted. To jump to conclusions based on what she looks like.” They’d only arrived a few minutes ago and it had all fallen apart already.

* * *

“Well, would you look at that.” Em’s entire attitude mirrored her own once the shouting started. She hadn’t thought about it. Tim had said it would be warm still, she’d come from the gym in her spare clean clothes and that was that. “Screwed up his homecoming.” She kicked a rock at the tree. “I probably shouldn’t even stay!” Another rock. “I’ll be lucky not to be lynched at this pace.” Lightning blasted the third rock before it hit the tree. “Told you I just screw up people’s lives. Sure you wouldn’t be happier running around the forest here for the rest of your life?”

“Emolga,” she whimpered at Alison.

“Dumb. So stupid.”

They paced together around the front yard trying hard to work out their mutual annoyance. Leaventown was quaint. Cute. In some ways a lot like Lavender Town, except bigger and way less depressing not having the towering monolith of a building with Ghost Types hovering constantly.

A broken paving stone had cracked the base of the gate and now it hung lopsided. Em took an interest in it, tugging at it and squeaking after she’d almost tripped over it on their way up to the house.

Even if she sounded crazy talking to her partner, “We could fix it.” There were new pieces of fencing and pavers sitting out and she wasn’t keen on entering in the middle of the shouting that had continued.

* * *

“Maybe, maybe you could just try to talk to her! Once! Instead of acting so irrational.” Thudding reverberated from the yard making him pause long enough to figure out what was interrupting him.

“I’m not done,” Gram followed him down the hall.

“I am.” Tim threw open the front door running right into Em’s path and gaining himself a mouth full of fur. “Oh, yeah, hi Em. Thanks for that.” She turned and followed him to the gate that lay on the ground. Broken pieces had already been pried off and thrown off in a pile near the new bricks. Surely his Gram had or would soon have hired someone to fix it but that seemed moot now. “What are you doing?” Silently he prayed she hadn’t heard them even though he was sure she had to have.

“I can’t sit still, you know that.” Each nail only took two hits to be flush with the board. “Not like this is hard to fix.”

Back at the door he could feel his Gram hovering, watching them with that same judgmental expression she’d had inside so Tim welcomed their next distraction as Jack walked up the sidewalk.

“Let’s go for a walk.” Tim prompted as Jack arrived, “You can see the town.”

“After I get this back up and the brick replaced before I kill myself on this path.”


	14. Day 14: That's what I'm talking about!

Past the edge of town they’d found a clear spot to watch the fireworks. Emolga jumped from tree to tree while Jack and Teddy kept up a steady stream of embarrassing stories all for Alison’s entertainment.

“He did not!”

“Oh, he most certainly did.” Tim would be far more pissed if he hadn’t already prepped his girlfriend with as many Jack stories as humanly possible. There were thousands to pick from and he’d made sure to give her the juiciest ones he had as fodder but based on her dazzling smile and little giggles she wasn’t defending him anytime soon.

Starting in on another story about Tim’s failed love life gave Tim pause, he knew the story well and it was actually painful to remember but Alison wasn’t listening. A rustle shook the branches overhead as Em landed next to them, scanning the trees in the same direction Alison was looking.

“Do you hear that?” She asked. Faintly he did, and it grew louder. If he hadn’t been paying attention he might have thought it was the fireworks show starting the way the explosions seemed slow at first then picked up in speed. But there were no bright colors filling the sky. Flashes behind them, back towards the edge of town mixed with the strings of lights along the Main Street.

Then the frantic shouting started. Jack and Teddy even took notice as Alison and Em took off. Their shouts joined a chorus as he chased down Alison fighting her way into a small circle of onlookers, sliding between feet to get into the middle. A battle. Leaventown, not known for exactly producing top trainers meant it happened only rarely in town and was always a spectacle.

By the time they got to the cluster of people Alison, smaller than Ethan, was fighting her way between him and a small boy, no bigger than Jack’s youngest brother. Probably just turned eleven and just got his Pokémon. A little Piplup just trying to get away from Lucario. Every Bubble attack Piplup threw just bounced off the Fighting type. Lucario stalked around the Piplup, playing with the little guy with Feints and Counters just to be cruel as his young partner cried out. Welts rose under Piplup’s feathers as red stained his wing. Emolga, however, put herself between them.

Alison didn’t stop. She clawed and threw herself between them trying to separate the two. Throwing her elbows and fists at Ethan no matter how many times he tried to throw her back into the crowd.

“Don’t start crying. You knew what you were getting into.” Ethan growled at the kid.

Tim broke into the battle to help drag the boy back. “Where’s your ball? Recall him.”

“I can’t! I dropped it!”

Em charged up her Shock Wave. Strings of lights closest to them started to flicker as the electricity arced around her giving Alison a diversion to find the ball or…better yet tackle Ethan. Alison came as his knees, toppling over one another. They were grappling on the ground when Em’s Shock Wave let loose but all his friend’s could do was whoop at her.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Jack cheered as Alison locked Ethan’s arm and started searching his pockets and belt. “Seriously, hot traffic cop.”

“That’s creepy, Jack.” Tim herded the little boy to his friends, looking him over for any injuries. “Does anyone have a pokeball?”

Jack hadn’t been listening, intent on Alison rolling over the bricks, Ethan continuing with punches that missed her. She’d freed a pokeball from Ethan’s belt now fighting to free herself, kicking out at his chest repeatedly. “She can search me any time?”

“You’re gross,” Teddy jumped in with Tim grabbing at Ethan’s feet as Alison activated the pokeball. The first fireworks collided with the pokeball flash to light up the night. In the blink of an eye Lucario was gone, recalled. Piplup collapsed at Em’s feet and Alison was back up and ready to swing just before Ethan.

“Goodman, keep your bitch in line!”

They jumped on her, stopping her from taking the swing or lunging at him again. Fresh blood marred her lip and cheek and her partner sparked dangerously in the corner.

“Nothing to see here. Battle’s over.” Teddy went around dispersing the few stragglers that had stuck around to see how the battle ended.

“You’re a dumbass!” Tim kept himself between his girlfriend and Ethan. “That was completely out of hand! Someone could have been grievously injured!” For good reason, Tim was ready to catch her again.

He also agreed, “Was that really necessary?”

“Kid needs to learn the hard way if he’s going to be up for being a trainer.”

“That wasn’t a battle.” No more swinging or kicking, Alison was just trying to control her breathing when she found the stray pokeball and recalled Piplup.


	15. Day 15: Listen! No really listen!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unlike my other fictober pieces, this one is actually from Heart of Gold but fit the prompt and is one of my favorite scenes. (even though rereading it I want to rewrite it again. Never satisfied).

Since she’d rested, Ali swayed less walking up the stairs although she still needed support. Thankfully, she’d stopped groping him. For a moment. Tim took the small victory. 

At her door she latched on again only to his shirt. “You are cute,” she said with a maniacal little laugh. She was still less obnoxious than Jack. Her door lock jammed for him just like his dad’s. Her hand covered his to wiggle the key and a well placed shoulder got the door open. Ali tripped into her own apartment and he had to catch her, again. 

After he locked her door, all with her trying to twine her fingers again around some part of him every few seconds, Tim guided her to her bedroom. 

“Dry clothes.” Shit she had an adorable and coy smile. Tim closed the door on her. “Alone.” Through the door he could hear her puff out a breath and the drawers open. 

Cute? She couldn’t know what she was saying. He wondered if she would remember any of this in the morning and at this point might be better if she didn’t. 

He searched her medicine cabinet for anything that would help with the hangover she was sure to have. It was pretty bare except for toothpaste, floss and a couple bottles not in the common language. Probably Kanto region specific and he had no idea what they said. 

Strong arms squeezed his torso to her. She couldn’t quite get her chin on his shoulder even on her tip toes. He tried to unwrap her again but she really was damn strong. He left her, secretly enjoying the momen, “Do you have anything for a hangover?” Her nose shook in his shoulder. “Of course.” Sleep was probably the only thing that would help. If she’d drank as much of that whiskey bottle he saw out as she claimed he figured she’d have to throw up more. He could feel her all along his back, “Ok, go sit on the couch. I’ll bring you something.” 

“Aren’t you going to come?” 

“Sit,” prying her off him again he steered her back to the couch. God, drunk people. 

Returning to the bathroom he pulled the bag out of the can. The can, a glass of water and sleep. Best remedies he could find. “You don’t believe I find you cute?” She called out to him. “Oh, oh!” Great. Incoming brilliant drunk deductions. Jack had these from time to time. He set the can next to the couch awaiting her new discovery. “You’re like…like a Pokemon.” Yes, that was much better than being called just cute. He was cute like a Pokemon. 

He made sure she had a blanket and pillow before trying to make up the couch around her. “Right.” 

“You’re not listening to me.” Tim was but he really just wanted to get her to sleep. 

“You’re drunk, Ali.” Around the belt loops again and she pulled him onto her. “Alison!” A goofy, drunken grin picked her back up again. 

“Yes, I am. Very drunk.” Got it. He got it. She preferred Alison. “But...listen. No, really listen!” 

“I am.” If he worked faster and got the couch made up he could get her to lay down and go back to figuring out what the hell was going on with this investigation into her and Cu’s death. 

“No, you’re not.” Ripping the pillow from him, Ali sat up straighter. Listening to her drunk rambles might get this done quicker. Still disapproving, he sat on her lap. Which was beyond uncomfortable but he was trapped still. “Ok, you’re not like a Pokemon.” He waited. “Just hear me out.” Her fingers dug into his leg, not painfully but strong. Eventually she said, “You’re like a partner.”

“That makes less sense.” He needed off of her without hurting her feelings because while she may not remember this he will. He put the pillow against the arm rest and felt himself be pulled down closer to her.

Meeting halfway, Alison made sure he was listening to her. “No, you are.” 

“How?” 

One arm made its way up to his neck to keep him trapped. He really wanted to move. He needed to move. If this had been a date it would have been the best damn date he’d ever had. But it wasn’t. Her fingers kept making their way to his waist and pushed them back down until, “You make the good things better and the bad things…less terrible.” 

There was no response he could come up with, nothing. Thank you seemed wrong. “Alison,” he mumbled. 

He didn’t notice she’d gotten close enough to give him a peck on the cheek, “The Goodmans. They keep living up to their name.” If only she weren’t drunk. 

Eyes closed, Tim composed himself. A deep breath. Ali. Alison, was probably right about Lucy. He wasn’t after another date with her. Not even with her trying to be more what he wanted or expected for a date. 

In the moment he didn’t feel her move. Soft lips pressed against his. Sweet, gentle and completely different than before. He couldn’t smell the whiskey, just a faint mildew odor in her hair. Her lips beckoned for more but Tim took a sharp inhale and pulled back. Her cheeks fit perfectly in his palms. More to himself than her, “Oh, when you’re not drunk.” He realized he had been chasing the wrong Bunnelby for years. Jack had been trying to find him partners in the wrong places. His attempts to find dates had been all wrong too. 

“Promise?” Alison whispered, still close enough to try again though she didn’t. 

“Yeah.” Tim nodded with her. “Yeah, I promise.”


	16. Day 16: There's just something about her/him/it.

Harry walked on dangerous territory putting his feet up on Alison’s desk. It was one thing for Emolga to scurry around on her desk and scratch it up, same for Pikachu, but his dad did it solely when she had a single file on her desk and he had dirt pouring off his shoes. 

“Lieutenant got his transfers in.” Two new, to the department, investigators had been unpacking at the desks across from Alison’s. They hadn’t made much progress with all the other patrolmen and investigators stopping by to congratulate them on their transfer. 

One was smaller, not much taller than Alison, with dusty hair that fell in that perpetually cool way and he never seemed to stop talking. His partner a Lairon who sat at the desk crunching on some rocks, creating a small cloud of dust with each bite. The other guy, who presumably worked together with the first, didn’t talk hardly at all unless he was addressed directly much like his own partner, Rowlett, who sat silently at the desk and cooed only once. Both new investigators were far cooler than he’d ever be. 

“Oh, no way! Kincaid! She’s here!” The dusty haired guy took over his partner’s desk as his seat reminiscent of someone else sitting near him. 

“This should be good.” His dad leaned even further into her chair. “Always starts the same.” 

Harry mouthed the words as the chatty guy continued, “Angeles. She’s way hotter than I thought she’d be. There’s just something about her, right?” Tim wasn’t exactly surprised. “Did you hear about the pictures of her floating around? Her undercover work…I would go undercover with her any time.” This was not a new reaction. “Dude, I’m going to talk to her.” That’s usually where it went downhill. 

Alison had been working on a translation for him from surveillance audio, she’d barely slept the night before because she’d been working late and, by the looks of the coffee maker she almost broke she was in desperate need of more coffee and not able to drink it fast enough.

“What’s going on?” Lieutenant Yoshida startled his dad just enough to make him tip backwards precariously. 

“The fresh meat is in, huh?” 

“They’re good. Picked them myself.” But he was frowning. “Oh, no.” 

Oh no, indeed. Making her way through the dangers of the fairly full squad room with folders and a cup of coffee was perilous enough then the new guy stepped in her path. The sudden change made her stop short, coffee spilling on them both. 

“Hey, sorry about that, Investigator Angeles.” Coffee on her folders, coffee on her pants and, as new guy seemed keenly aware, coffee on her RCPD shirt. “Let me help you.” And an annoyingly charming smile. 

“No,” she snipped and moved around him. 

“I’m Stone. Ben Stone but uh…” She’d left him where he was, skirting around the desks and his partners to make a beeline for her own, occupied, desk. “We’re the new investigators in…the…” She wasn’t listening and he, like they all did, got frustrated enough to try to stop her again. Stone caught her by the wrist. Bad move all around. His partners, both Pokemon and human, tried to warn him but Emolga dropped down from the lights with a little Spark. Alison was used to it now, just like Tim, and was able to shake it off easily. Almost back at her desk Stone made one last attempt to get her attention, spinning her around. 

Tim thought Yoshida would say something, stop her, but he just sipped his coffee and watched as Alison crushed her foot into Stone’s knee before sending him down into a desk. The entire squad room froze momentarily while Stone groaned from the floor. His partner, Lairon, waddled slowly to him, prodding him in a way that did not look particularly gentle. 

“Lieutenant?” Stone’s other partner, Kincaid, called over clearly expecting some sort of backup to Alison’s attack. 

Instead, and before Yoshida could answer, Alison shoved Harry’s feet from her desk and sent him and the chair toppling to the floor too. 

“Welcome to the First Precinct. Stone shouldn’t have touched her.” Finishing his coffee, Hide left his friend on the floor. “You know better.” 

Pausing only long enough to drop the wet folder in his lap and switch coffee cups Tim heard Stone mutter, “Bitch,” as she walked off.


	17. Day 17: Secrets? I love secrets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Going to be playing a little catch up this weekend because I am still getting over being sick. Hence why this was a day behind.

Lots of days Lucy really wondered about those two. They were dating but they sure didn’t act like it. Not out in public. She’d eventually come to the assumption that it was because she was from Kanto. There were things she was fairly reserved about and she was damn good at hiding things from people. People like reporters. Try as she might. 

Tim, on the other hand, was practically hanging off of her. Whispering in her ear. 

“Secrets?” Lucy popped between them as best she could. “I love secrets.” 

As if caught in a conspiracy they backed even further away from each other. Yet another reason Lucy questioned their relationship. 

“No. No secrets.” Except when they did that cute unison thing she knew that they were definitely, probably, still together. 

“What’s up? You texted.” 

“I did?” Catching himself he repeated more confidently, “I did.” 

Ali, as opposed to her supposed counter part, looked downright miserable. “We were just discussing where I went wrong.” 

Lucy’s thoughts were already getting ahead of herself. _Oh. My. God. Did they break up? Is Tim single? Did he text me because he needed an out from this awkward date? _

“Was I just not mean enough? I thought I was clear. To the point.” Ali beat her head on the table as she whined, “A complete bitch.” 

Hoping she was keeping herself calm on the outside, cool, Lucy asked, “Did…did something happen with you two?” 

“No!” Again with the unison. _Damn._

Ali’s Emolga took a leap from a nearby light fixture, landing nimbly on the table to snatch her partner’s chips and take off again. Tim offered his own to her, “There’s some new investigators in her department.” 

“And they followed us here.” 

Both pointed over at two guys that, if Lucy did say so herself, were rather hot. She really hoped those were the guys they were talking about, busy carrying trays of food as hot as them. Gesturing to a table and moving it with Tim’s just made Ali groan even louder. 

“I’m going to blame you.” 

“You didn’t notice.”

“I noticed! That’s why we went blocks out of our way to get these sandwiches.” Sandwiches that were gone already. “We’re never going to the Kanto district after work. Like ever! Not if they keep this shit up!” 

“Maybe they’re just trying to get to know you?” Tim had clearly been trying to see the bright side of things. Then one of them waved at Ali and Tim grumbled to himself. 

His girlfriend didn’t seem to appreciate it much and kicked him. “He’s trying to…arg!” They’d had convinced another group of people to switch tables so they could move the closest table together. Ali had run out of time and dumped Lucy out of the chair, herding her towards them, “You like secrets? I bet Ben, over there, has plenty that you can get out of him. Sucker for a pretty girl. And he’s fresh meat in the department.” Lucy tried to protest. Weakly, sure, but protest nonetheless. “I mean, look, he’s got…muscles?” Yes, yes he certainly did. They were pretty. “And look, his partner, not the Lairon, _loves_ Psyduck.” Both of them were actually playing and talking with Psyduck, offering to find his partner for him while they lifted the table. Sometimes she really needed to keep a better eye on him. 

How did her hair look? 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Did you just lure Lucy here to serve as a distraction to Stone and Kincaid?” Tim caught Emolga as she backed him out the door of the restaurant. 

“I need a beer.” 

“It’s not even 4 pm.” He knew better than to put up much of a fight. 

“Beer. Now.”


	18. Day 18: Yes, I admit it, you were right.

“Come on.” His dad was on a far more dangerous slope than usual as he wiggled her hand. All in all he was in great spirits considering the circumstances. 

“I will stab you with my chopsticks if you don’t remove your hand.” Tim was fairly certain Alison was too tired to do much to his dad, but really he shouldn’t push it. Not after what happened.

“You won’t admit it?” Tim really didn’t think this was a good idea. “I’m buying you dinner.” 

“Dinner does not equal in value...” Her hands came down on the table. “Yes, I admit it, you were right.” Tim had to fight the urge to leave yet he was also frozen in place. Plus his head was throbbing and he was pretty sure he’d need help out of the restaurant. And to a hospital. “You were right that the Tauros didn’t want the rope around it. You were right that it would buck and that bucking would cause a stampede that would then cause an accident. An accident that totaled my motorcycle.” 

Harry had the audacity to mumble, “Death trap.” 

Steaming ramen got shoved to the end of the table so she could squeal without burning herself, “You were right! You caused more havoc that I have in a single hour! Happy?” He was right. But it was also the stupidest plan to keep not only her undercover work in tact and keep some grunts from hurting innocent people on the street. One Tauros alone could have really done a lot more damage than the grunts. 

“Actually....”

Tim finally intervened when he saw the dangerous gleam in her eye. “I would stop while you’re ahead.” 

The wooden chopsticks splintered under her hand as she slammed them down. She picked her way through the tables, returning quickly with an icy cloth, maybe pressing it a little too forcefully to his head. She apologized so quietly he wasn’t sure the words were even said out loud. 

“Will insurance cover your bike?”

“Probably not.”

“It’s ok. Better for her to not get into an accident,” Alison practically leaped over Tim to punch his dad. 

“I’m not sure how you’ve survived six years.” Honestly. He was worried he wouldn’t survive six months. Both Pikachu and Emolga were at the clinic up the road. They’d be lucky to even come home tonight. Em tried to save Pikachu from getting trampled, mostly she did but they’d been hit by debris from Alison’s motorcycle. Exploding. In a fiery, thoroughly devastating, explosion. Same one that pummeled him with shrapnel and something large enough to make him question if he’d been knocked out. He was leaning towards yes. 

“Me either.” Harry picked at his own soup, still seemingly pleased with himself and incensing Alison even more. “And almost seven now.”


	19. Day 19: You could talk about it, you know?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This brings up elements of PTSD and loss. While not graphic per se it contains those themes.

Until the scream that pierced the dark it had been a pretty great night. She’d gotten off work early so she surprised Tim with a bag of groceries and stole him away from Harry for a cooking lesson, aka dinner, and some much needed cuddling on the couch with Em. Bonus points for the fact that they didn’t even fall asleep on the couch at one of their consistently awkward angles that was sure to cause neck spasms in the morning. Em hadn’t even been creepy, staring at Tim the way she usually did which tended to end any intimate activity. And best of all she’d kept her mouth shut about her most recent cases which were pretty much insomnia fuel. 

But her subconscious had other ideas. One moment she was cuddled in her warm bed with her warm boyfriend, partner curled up at their feet, the next she was in a warehouse. What looked to be a warehouse. Whatever it was, it was nondescript yet familiar. There were shipping containers all around, stacked high enough she couldn’t see over them. They formed corridors that she had no choice but to follow. Her and Em took the path mostly because they could.

But as soon as she emerged from the corridor she wasn’t in the same warehouse. This one was more familiar. Unsettlingly so. There weren’t shipping containers or crates but large tanks lined up. Cells for Pokemon. Wires and computers and large electromagnets surrounded each. She’d been here. She knew what was going to happen but that wasn’t possible. Em was with her, her trusty Emolga. 

Except she wasn’t. Cu was there. He still looked a bit more like his former self, when he was a Cubone and not a Marowak. And it all happened again in slow motion and would not stop. No matter how she tried to change events. Grunts released the trapped Pokemon, all Psychic Types. A rampage ensued as they went after the other cops and their partners. Wait, wasn’t she alone? No, she’d definitely gone in with backup but it wasn’t enough. And Cu. He held them off. All his training had been worth it but he made her leave. Wouldn’t follow. Insisted she get out and that’s when the attack really ramped up. A Confusion attack so strong, probably from multiple Pokemon inside that it reached their outer perimeter. Taking her and the other human partners with their Pokemon partners. Stumbling, losing balance, weapons fell to the ground and then Extrasenory hit them all and then the building shuddered as, what they would later find out to be a Psywave ripped through every support more effectively than any demolition she’d witnessed. 

The sheets were soaked, her cold sweat had not broken when Alison sat up in bed. Something moved next to her but she was already swinging her legs over the edge, digging under the mattress from Cu’s little bed next to hers and out the door. 

She’d read the file so many times in the eighteen months, memorizing it long ago. That didn’t stop her from reading it again. 

Tim wandered out from the bedroom, bleary eyed and running into the door frame before really waking up. “Hey.” When she didn’t respond he wrapped her in the blanket she kept over the back of the couch. “You could talk about it, you know?” 

He’d seen the pictures before. The reports. A lot. But instead of reading them he ruffled her hair and tried to get it stop sticking to the sides of her face. 

“It’s nothing.” 

“It’s not nothing.” But he didn’t add anything on top of that. That was it. Tim dropped the file on her lap, tugged the coffee table closer so he could prop his feet up, asked if they could share the blanket as if she were some kind of unkind blanket hog and kissed her cheek when she draped it across them both. One of the pictures in the file had been an old copy of his official department ID. Cu had been pissed he had to retake his photo, or hated the photographer at the station, either way he looked angry and had thrown his bone club through the wall after the picture had been taken. Didn’t matter how many times, late at night, she’d told Tim that story he chuckled the same every single time. “You two were exactly the same,” he’d say and pull her close. Tonight, after she’d told the story and he’d said what he always said for the umpteenth time his head lolled, landing on her shoulder. 

He’d complain about his neck in the morning, probably only once and then rub her shoulders instead and help make her extra strong coffee and put everything back where it belonged, including putting the file back together and putting it exactly where she’d taken the file from before for the next time she had the same nightmare. 

Sometimes, during those waking hours, her mind would wander away from Cu and the guilt would set in. Guilt that she’d somehow replaced Cu with her boyfriend. She’d never tell him, because it would sound absolutely crazy, but the way he stayed up with her just to be with her during those difficult times was just the same as Cu.


	20. Day 20: Patience...is not something I'm known for.

“Are you having a beer?” Tim had finally learned the easiest way to find Alison when she was acting cryptic. She’d actually made it very easy for him, not for anyone else. She’d allowed for shared location with him only. Took him long enough to find out about it when he’d been reading through old texts from her and playing around with settings. “It’s the middle of the afternoon.”

“It’s...like five o’clock somewhere.” Oh boy. Not her first beer. 

“What’s going on?” Em juggled the empty bottle sending his nerves on edge to the point he had to take it away from her before she hurt herself. 

“The intel is good. I just don’t get it.” He caught her phone and looked. Pictures of plans. There were photos of bars and times and even information on the HVAC systems. “Small scale but clearly the stuff needed for an attack.” 

“Who?” 

“Who else?” 

“There’s a lot of teams...ok, there’s a few teams that would plan something like this, I guess. You would know better than me.” 

“Not according to the man hours we’ve used.” 

He kept scrolling through the pictures. There was a single decent frame from a security camera, the guy was pretty nondescript. Had his hood up, sunglasses on inside. Well, that was at least something. How many people wore sunglasses inside? Besides Lucy when she was trying to also be relatively nondescript. 

“Wait.” He went back through the pictures. “Isn’t this one of the bars on this list.” 

“Yup.” Tipping the bottle back, another one gone. Em had two to clink together and add to the noise in the bar. Noise that seemed to be going down, not up as people filtered into the bar on a Friday night. Alison steadied herself before spinning on the barstool. 

“Well, let’s get you home.” She looked like she was going to be sick, and after two beers that was pretty unusual. This very easily could not be the first bar she checked again. 

“Oh, I shouldn’t have texted you.” Placing the phone in her hand he was trying to close out her tab but the bartender didn’t seem to be listening to him even though he stood right next to Tim. “Call backup.” 

“Backup?” He didn’t get much of a choice, Alison dragged him by the hand around and behind the bar as the first shout called out over the music. 

“Yeah,” she sighed. 

That look haunted him. His dad got it all the time and had obviously taught it to Alison no matter how much she protested. After he got the Lieutenant on the phone and backup confirmed he said, “Ok, patience. Backup will be here soon. Right? Let’s not start...”

“Patience....is not something I’m known for.” Peeking over the bar she found her gun and unholstered. Her pathetic drunkenness quickly gave way to a ruthlessness and poise he was used to, “Freeze! Ryme City Police! On your knees and hands behind your head, now!” A clamor arose as sharp leaves filled the air and her and Em took cover once more. Landing in the walls, the bar and raining shards of broken liquor bottles down on them. A storm from a Leaf Storm. “Fuck! ETA on backup?” 

Repeating the question into the phone Tim echoed back, “Three minutes. Was that necessary?” 

“Uh, yeah. They have all Grass Types.” 

“You have an Electric Type. That’s it.” 

“Yeah. That, uh, Ivysaur’s flower is the wrong color. There any region specific evolutions of a Bulbasaur that I am not remembering?” Rifling through bottles Tim really hoped she wasn’t doing what he thought she would. 

“No?” 

Glass continued to rain down, the punks at the door shit talking the Ryme City Police for sending in a little girl to do a man’s job with a little useless partner. 

“You wouldn’t have a Bug or Flying type as a partner, by chance? No? Worth a shot. How do you feel about me using some of this liquor? Or would we all prefer to just get our asses handed to us, maybe killed?” 

“Use whatever you want, sweetheart. On the house.” 

He’d like to call the look she got a crazy gleam, he’d already seen it with his dad on multiple occasions, but that wasn’t exactly the right way to phrase it. It was alarming, to say the least. What happened next was obviously going to be insane. 

Bottles lined the floor in front of Alison as she hunched with Em. “Ready? Target practice.” In rapid succession Alison thrust herself up hurling two bottles toward the Team while Em fired up a quick series of small Thunderbolts. Pinpointing each bottle as they sailed through the air more glass littered the barroom raining fireballs down on the grunts and their partners. Alison kept up the barrage until she was out of bottles, then she just kept her gun raised, “I said on your knees!” 

Red and blue lit up dusk as it fell outside the door of the bar. 

“Oh my god. You’re insane.” Tim brushed bits of glass off his jacket and pants when he noticed small cuts along his hand. 

“Yeah, well, I learned from someone crazier.” 

“Yeah.” 

“I wouldn’t stand, your knees are probably going to give out.” 

He would take her word for it and just stay right there for a couple minutes. That sounded best.


	21. Day 21: Change is annoyingly difficult

“Wearing your special, extra holey, jeans? What’s the occasion?” Jittering while he shuffled from pile to pile Harry tripped over his own partner and Em, Alison’s Emolga, spilling his latest coffee all over papers and partners alike. “Actually, that’s perfect. You can go,” he started while shoving a file at her while she just let it fall to the floor.

“No. I have a date.”

“Well, that’s rude. Coming here when you have a date.” Pikachu zoomed around collecting the papers to put the file back together.

“Why would that be rude?” She surveyed the room around him, preparing to complain about all the work it would be to clean everything up again but he’d had a breakthrough. Or three. He needed everything where it was. Just not covered in coffee.

He did need more coffee though.

“We’re going to a concert, dad. Shit.” Tim skidded on another file that he hadn’t put in a pile or on the counter where it belonged in his matrix of…stuff. “Wait, no no no.”

“Still wondering why it would be rude.”

“You two had a huge fight last night. Screaming at each other.”

“No, we didn’t.” Their little talking in unison thing was weird. How did she know his own son better than him already? Wait, he’d heard them.

“We weren’t even home last night, dad.”

“_We_ were sitting in a car -”

“La la la!” He plugged his ears, this was not how he’d planned for his Saturday evening to be going.

“- staking out that club for you last night.” Alison bent down to Pikachu, wiping the coffee from his fur, “Has he had anything besides coffee?”

“Pi pi pika pi pika.”

“Figures.” Tossing a towel to her Alison ordered Tim, “Hide the coffee. No, better, let’s take the coffee with us.”

“I thought tonight was the concert Lei got you tickets for.”

Holding up two wiggling fingers Tim grunted. She just responded, “We’re going to be late if you need to get changed.” And she led him by his tie to her.

“Oh my god! I’m going to have to burn my eyes out!”

“Change is annoyingly difficult, huh?” Alison grinned, enjoying the pure torture she was putting him through by kissing his son right there.

“This isn’t change. It’s abandonment! And disgusting!” Harry called out to both of them even though they were busy. Tim’s tie landed on the not coffee stained files, she was ushering him into a leather jacket amid protests that he would stick out at the concert no matter what he wore.

“I think you look hot.”

“My ears are bleeding!”

But they were still ignoring him on their way out. Alison showing off custom ear plugs she’d gotten at the department firing range for Em to protect her sensitive ears at the club.

“They grow up so quickly.” Harry reminisced to Pikachu, suddenly sullen. “She didn’t take the coffee, did she?”

“Pika pi.”


	22. Day 22: We could have a chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's ficlet is a little darker and more Halloween themed. Man, some pokemon are way darker than you would think for a kids game / anime. Warnings include blood and kind of horror-ish themes (like soul stealing). This was a fun one to write though. See you tomorrow!

Screeching tires and horns blaring preceded the sound of metal furiously colliding. Then it was the cries of all the onlookers that led Tim and his dad down the street. Tim felt a cold dread. He’d thought maybe they could help but when they got to the twisted wreckage he felt a pit open wide inside of him. 

A tiny voice called out to him. Over and over screaming his name before he realized he’d been on the phone with Alison. She was still calling his name when he answered, “There was an accident.” A woman lay bleeding in the street, her partner Eevee whining and whimpering at her side with red patches soaking into her fur. “Oh my god, I...” Harry snatched the phone from Tim’s ear to guide him to the woman. Eevee wobbled as she went to nuzzle her partner’s hand. 

Harry’s hoodie became a makeshift bandage. “Hold it here,” he guided Tim’s hands to the her face where he’d covered it with the cloth. “Firmly. Talk to her.” He rushed off to the other car where some other bystanders were trying to pry the door open. Anyone who tried to get through to emergency services got a busy signal and there were no sirens blaring toward them. 

They needed something to pry the door or break the glass or, well, some way to get in. Laying across the deflating airbag were limbs that probably belongs to a man. Harry couldn’t tell how old. Older than Tim at least. He couldn’t see a partner but that didn’t mean much with how dark it was. 

There wasn’t much to use and any partners that were around were small or their attacks would make it worse and cause more injuries than help get the door off. 

“This is Investigator Angeles. Sir, there’s been an accident at Tenth and…uh,” Alison rounded the corner, “and Dusk.” Em surveyed from overhead, circling the wreckage before landing. “There’s a problem.” She was still holding the phone to her ear as she tried to smash through the driver side window with the opposite elbow. 

“Besides dinner being postponed?” 

“Yes, more important too. Emergency services is down. 9-1-1 is literally not working. There are major emergencies all over the city thanks to some stupid ass coordinated attack or something by Team Rocket. I don’t know.” Yes, more immediately important was the glob of thick, sticky blood ran from her nose cutting through her thoughts. “Shit.” A faint blue glow grew in strength behind her, trapped in the car. Harry shoved her away from the wreckage. “No.” She clutched at her head while starting to shout orders, “Form a perimeter! Get back! Get everyone back!” Another blue flame came to life next to Tim so Alison threw herself over the warped metal to tackle him. “Sir, you need to connect me to whoever is in charge at the hospital. They’ve had a breach in containment. I repeat we have two Lampent out of containment.” 

And they had, what, two Electric types and a handful of Normal, Grass and a Fighting Type. Plus at least two injured people that they were soul stealing from.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Holding Tim back was physically draining as the metallic taste filled her mouth and turned her stomach. 

“Come on! We could have a chance!” 

“Tim! Pikachu and Em’s attacks are too wild. We could hit any one of these people around here. Especially the two injured.” He should know as well as her, if Lampent’s flame is so bright these people are nearing their end. They’re only blocks from the hospital that had an infestation after an eight car pile up led to, well, an abundance of fuel.

Lieutenant Yoshida’s voice barely made it over the commotion that the Lampent stirred, “They are sending backup your way. We need to keep those Lampent’s under control so we can relocate them.” 

“Understood.” 

Blue light sputtered causing shadows to dance wildly from the car. Fine, maybe they had a small chance. 

“Fine. You win.” Turning Tim to her she motioned around at the people, “Get them back.” From across the accident scene Harry could see what they were doing and disagreed. Too bad. “Em, go for the window. Quick attack.” 

Lampent hovered around unconscious woman silently watched Em go by without a reaction, just kept flickering away nice and bright. Alison edged her way around out of it’s eyesight with her service weapon unholstered. 

The crowd of people thinned, shying away from the Ghost Type, while others insisted on live streaming the whole thing. The screech of Em’s claws on glass made both flames grow. Moving to converge on her. Acting quick Alison slammed the butt of her gun against the glass, shattering it against the other Lampent who’d started to sputter again. In the passenger seat a small Larvitar growled, a sharp rock. He’d used Stone Edge once and was preparing to attack again. “Come on buddy, more space out here.” Taking hold of his little arms he scrambled out of the car. “Got anymore left in ya? He could use a good hit from your Stone Edge.” Larvitar groaned weakly. “Ok. Uh.” Her head was splitting in two. Thoughts jumbled and fuzzy. God, what else could he do? “Crunch? Payback?” Whichever one he did Alison didn’t see. Her vision went blurry as she stumbled and fell into the car. 

When she could hear again, and begin to see again, both Tim and Harry crowded her field of vision. 

“You did good.” He was patting her head in that stupid patronizing way. “The woman might make it, her Eevee too.” 

“Dinner.” She moaned even though her stomach was still churning, her head tearing apart and she could still taste the remnants of blood on her lips.

“I’ll even buy you a beer.”


	23. Day 23: You can't give more than yourself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No real warnings today. Like many others a bit of swearing and men being oblivious idiots and not knowing how to deal with a woman.

Psyducks seriously freaked Alison out. They were just neurotic enough to level a building because they missed snack time but at the same time something could literally be trying to kill them and they might not even defend themselves. When they did defend themselves the landscape tended to be completely flattened, decimated, possibly worse. So, of course after a long day of work and dealing with spunky little Investigator Stone and his dumb innuendos all day she would walk into Harry’s apartment with Lucy’s partner pacing with his frantic little ‘Psy psy psyduck’ over and over again. 

Lucy didn’t sound much better. She’d come in during the tail end of whatever had been going on. From just around the corner of the hallway Alison could see Harry trying to console Lucy, Tim too and both doing an awfully awkward job of it. 

“Lucy, you can’t give more than yourself.” 

“I just don’t understand how I’m supposed to keep going when it’s an unpaid internship plus I have the second job just so I can scrape by with rent and...and...,” she sniffled and started mumbling as her words to the point Alison had no idea what she was saying. 

“Have you talked to your boss about the possibility...” 

Rational men. Based on the tears, the tissues, the general mood of her partner, Lucy had been here a while. Setting her bags down carefully, the groceries and dinner could wait, she supposed. Rather reluctantly. Leading Em back out the door, making sure to lift it so it didn’t squeak at all she was just going to have to haul her butt all the way back down to the market. 

By the time she’d returned Psyduck had calmed down. He’d molted a few feathers but was otherwise fairly calm. The plastic bag crinkled so loud she couldn’t easily mask her entrance. She tossed the new bag at the couch before taking her reusable bags to the kitchen. 

“Men are idiots. Cookie dough. That is useful. What?” Tim looked mildly annoyed, but Harry, he was downright hurt. 

“Oooh, cookie dough.” Enough for her and Psyduck. Because snack time. Building. Better safe than sorry.

In, what appeared to be, a single motion she had turned on the tv, away from one of the detective movies to something generally girly and not her usual style, and unbagged the groceries. “So, dumb boy?” she asked, though still tinged with mild annoyance. 

“Is there any other kind? I mean, can we even call the guys there men? All they do is push off the stupidest things to me and make me, still, get their coffee orders. Still!” Actually, that one she knew well. Loads of officers, investigators, some top brass, treated her that way too, especially when she first started. 

_Thwack! Thwack!_ The cleaver cut right through the meat and bone. _Thwack! Thwack!_ Four even pieces of meat to start browning. “Definitely not any other kind.” The boys, including Pikachu, loved the idea of taking offense until they saw the cleaver and all thought better of it. “Men are idiots anyways and most don’t deserve the title.” 

Lucy savored each spoonful of cookie dough, “But even women! Like Rachel! She just treats me like an errand girl. Hold all her crap while she’s in front of the camera.” 

“Women are even more callous than men.” Cleaver or not, Harry threw a wadded up tissue at her. “Gross.” 

Every other spoonful she handed a spoon to Psyduck as he kicked around, happily enjoying the sugar, while she continued to vent and Alison listened. Half heartedly. Tim kept trying to get her attention but she was far more concerned with the oil spattering her every time food got dropped in the pan. 

“Ooh, I gotta go! I’m researching a new story and there is a shift change soon at the water plant where I can,” Alison pointedly threw the cleaver into the cutting board to make a point, “Anyways. Thanks! I’ll text you later!” 

However long Harry had been holding in a breath, he was now gasping for air. “How? How? How? How?” The intensity took her by surprise.

“What did you do? No! Wait! How…?” Tim sidled around the counter, watching the cleaver intently. 

“How long did she cry for?” Emolga appeared on the counter, next to the cleaver which sent Tim skittering to her. 

“Uh…” 

“Yeah.” She tossed the food in the pan causing a flare of flames. “You try to fix her problems? Solve a problem that wasn’t even there, per se?” Harry collapsed into his chair, Pikachu with him. She knew his only concern had been keeping Psyduck from leveling the place. He was fond of this shitty apartment building. Pests and all. “She, like most women, just wanted to vent. Get it off her chest. You were trying to fix something she didn’t need fixed.”


	24. Day 24: I could really eat something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short one today but I thought it was a funny idea. It heralds back to Chapter 12 of Heart of Gold. Which was one of my favorite chapters. Any who, enjoy! Can't believe the month is already coming to a close!

“Detective Goodman, PI, office. Angel speaking, how may I help you?” It was instinct. Habit. She didn’t even think before picking up, didn’t even need to see the phone to know where it was the instant it started. The phone had literally been in the same spot since she met Harry. Alison regretted it instantly. She was distracted, reading an article from another medical journal while Tim lounged on the couch with his own case notes. He still needed days worth of hours to be signed off by his ‘mentor’ before he could take the licensing exam. He was so close! “Yes, Detective Goodman has a free appointment this morning.” 

Tim felt the shift in her voice and perked up. Jotting down the new appointment she suddenly felt like she’d seen a Ghost Type. A chill ran through her as she hung up. 

“Any prep we should do for my dad?” But she wasn’t really listening only trying to figure out how to cover her tracks. Get out. With Tim. “Who’s the...oh.” She hadn’t seen Tim meet her at the desk, then he was pulling the schedule to him and panicked. Throwing the schedule on the desk and straightening it up, closing out of the journal. 

It had been Mrs. Westin. Harry’s favorite millionaire widow who kept coming to him when she was lonely and her latest ‘pool boy’ left her in some newly hatched scandal. 

“I could really eat something.” She could see the same panic welling in Tim. 

“Food sounds great.” 

“Like, Kanto maybe?” 

“Gonna take a while to get there.” 

“Wake up Em, it’ll be fine.” 

“Is it supposed to rain?” 

“Does it matter?” 

Tim quickly shook Emolga awake, Alison adjusted the last of the files just right so it looked like Harry had been the last one at the desk. You know, because her handwriting in the appointment book wouldn’t give away a damn thing. They could hear the shower shut off and shouted, “We’re going to lunch! You have an appointment coming soon!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“We just thew my dad to the Mightyenas.” 

Alison tossed Em in the air now the she was awake, letting her glide down the street so they could meet her at the corner. “Yeah. Yeah, we did.” Keeping a brisk pace was easy, she just kept thinking about what Harry would say. It had been only a few months since her last round of little jobs that only Harry Goodman could solve. “You wanna go back? Be a pool boy?” 

“No. No, no, no.” They zipped across the street and were almost at the train stop when Alison’s phone began to buzz. “You?” 

“Nope.” She should have left her phone behind at the apartment. Harry would probably call her non-stop until the appointment started. 

“Wait.” He was slow on the uptake, should have questioned her sooner. “Why don’t you want to see Mrs. Westin?”


	25. Day 25: I'm with you, you know that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters getting posted today because yesterday was insane. I had most of this done but family things came up so have this and another chapters.   
Note: Depictions of blood and allusions to violence.

Someone had tracked water into the building, leaving a slick mess on the stairs. Not that the building manager would do much about it, and Tim didn’t really want their elderly neighbor above them to slip and fall. He’d have to come back out at least wipe it dry with a towel. 

Inadvertently he kept following the tracks all the way to his dad’s apartment. Oh. Cool. His dad was to blame? Even better. Tim could force him back out with a towel. Or, better yet, a mop. 

As soon as he stepped in he could hear the shower and the tracks led straight there. He hadn’t made a mess of the entire apartment which was completely unlike his father. 

Tim tipped the door of the bathroom just enough to be heard over the shower, “You need to go back out...” Dirty water dripped down the side of the shower. Except it was tinged pink not brown. And the clothes in a heap looked sticky. Then he realized the foot print next to him, while faint, was red. Em huddled in the corner of the shower, drenched and refusing to move. “Oh my god, Alison? What happened?” She was still hidden by the curtain but he could tell she jumped at her name. Peering around the curtain she gasped, “Tim?” The water shut off. Em crept slowly out and into a waiting towel. With a gentle motion Tim dried the little Electric type. Usually she churred or chirped at him after a shower or bath. Instead she was just limp, depressed. Also covered in a towel, Alison let Tim envelop her in a hug. “It’s okay. I’m with you, you know that.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He’d found it hard to find out what happened when he knew exactly zero details except that there was a lot of blood involved. Neither would talk much or answer questions so he settled in to making tea and letting Alison try to fall asleep. 

Still searching for answers when Pikachu scampered in and he heard his dad say, “So weird. Someone actually mopped the stairs. Oh.” Tim hadn’t gotten around to putting the mop and bucket away. Em had stirred during a nightmare, and it turned to thrashing and he was nursing a brutal scratch she’d given him. “What happened?” 

His best guess was the news story that was replaying now. 

“Residents of the Hunter Town Neighborhood are asked to be on alert. Though it has not been confirmed, at this time it is believed that a string of attacks are linked to the multiple homicide that involved two Ryme City Police officers and one resident. It is believed that the culprit was a Ghost Type not native to the city. RCPD’s commissioner has not made an official statement yet but based on recent sightings many residents think Mimikyu has entered the area. Residents are reminded that if they see a Ghost Type to report it immediately and to brush up on their different Ghost Types to help aid the police in locating potential threats. There is always a rise in Ghost Types during the autumn season towards the city...” 

“Figures Kincaid would still be at training when there is a Ghost Type infestation.” 

Harry jumped higher than Tim, he could keep telling himself that to make him feel better about being startled. 

“Stone’s been drunk texting you all evening.” 

“Should have known something was up.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Alison felt like she was really back in Hunter Town. The migraine set on as fast as ever. Tracking the Ghost Types was not at the top of her list of favorite activities but the task force was overwhelmed with calls from all over the city and they needed to get it under control. So, she bit her lip and helped Stone with Hunter Town. They had every available patrolman for Hunter Town out scouring after a call from a little kid. At first no one wanted to believe him. A Mimikyu sighting, especially in the city, hadn’t happened since the city had been founded and built. 

But Alison rounded the corner of Arrow Road and there, two officers were questioning what looked like a small costumed child. 

“Please state your name again.” The officers were both visibly agitated already, their partners pacing nervously behind them. 

“Pikachu! I’m looking for my friend.” 

“Stone, we found that lost Pikachu.” She tried to keep her voice from quivering, not that it worked. She held up her badge and Stone followed, as she unholsterd her gun.

“Oh, great. You okay?” She tasted iron. He’d seen before she could wipe it away. 

“Officers, what seems to be the problem here? Aren’t you helping our friend?” Stone was even more terrified. He couldn’t get it out of his voice.

And these officers seemed to not remember their Ghost Type training in the least. Or they were so green they hadn’t made it to that module and hadn’t read the damn report. 

“You can help me find my friend?” When he swung around his head lolled limply to the side. 

“Of course. Just tell us where you think he’s gone.” Alison shifted to the side. No one, not one person, saw the bike coming toward them. Pale yellow cloth fluttered just in the corner of her eye and she must have been called out too late, “Cover your eyes.” Em was fine, she guessed, and Stone and his partner. It didn’t matter if she’d had her service weapon out or her stun gun or something else. What she had on her wouldn’t stop a Ghost. Em wasn’t strong enough. Stone’s partner might have been able to take it but not now. Not when you couldn’t look. Not when it had started.


	26. Day 26: You keep me warm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, the second fictober chapter today. No warnings.

“Ready? Set?” Alison hefted Em once, twice then on, “Go!” she tossed her high in the air. Tim wasn’t far enough. There was no way to catch her so he ran. Uphill and caught up just in time for her to smack right into his chest. The trees were fairly sparse in Togepi Park, more bushes and lower lying plants, at least in the area they were in. 

She’d been ready. Six Togepi had been following them around for the last hour, playing. Two in each arm and one on each shoulder, Alison sprinted up the hill too, bombarding Tim with Togepi just as he turned around. 

“Ah!” Em gave him the final push to knock him on his back and all the little paws and and hands and feet danced on him in fits of laughter. “Not fair!” 

“Completely fair.” Lying in the grass next to him she just let the tickle torture continue. “I think it’s cute when you play with tiny little baby Pokemon.” 

“Cute?” 

Correcting herself, “Sexy?” 

He smiled in approval. “Really? You keep that up and I might start to think you find me attractive.” Inching closer as he writhed on the ground she caught his cheeks in her hands, stopping him just long enough for a kiss. Which also stopped the Pokémon’s tickling frenzy as they watched intently. “That’s still weird.” Tim noticed them staring. 

“I think they like they don’t have to share their happiness right now.” 

“Or they’re feeding off our happiness.” 

But Alison just shook her head at him. That wasn’t what they did and he knew it. There were days he couldn’t stop being cynical about Pokemon. 

Well, she thought that until he laughed and mocked her annoyed expression. 

The little Togepi, however, were being led by her Emolga on a mission for the small bag of candies Tim had concealed in his jacket. Making off with the bag afforded them a few minutes of quiet. Alison climbed her way into his lap. Togepi Park was hard to get into during certain times of the year. Breeding season had just ended and this was a time when it was closed off to the general public. She’d only gotten them in because she knew Bernie and he’d had an injured Togepi that had been rehabilitated and was ready to rejoin the others in the park. 

“You know what I think?” She interrupted him as he came in for another kiss. “I think you secretly…like Pokemon.” 

“I think I like you.” 

A tremor ran through her. Not from Tim’s hands caressing her back, but actual shivers. 

“I think,” she said as she stuck her ice cold hands under the neck of his shirt and onto his warm back, “You keep me warm.” 

“I told you to bring a jacket.” But a shiver passed through him too. “Ok, this might be colder than I expected.” Em pushed her way between them, also shaking. Distracted by Em and trying to warm the little girl up she was taken by surprise by Tim. His lips meeting hers. “I might like some Pokemon.” Pin pricks of ice fell on her cheeks and hands, dotting both their hair. “Snow?” 

“In August?” Ears bent down strangely, Em was whining now. “Ah, are your ears popping?” 

“No?” The snow was falling faster. The grass around them already changing from green to white. Tim carried Em while they searched around the park, not that they ended up far from their hill top. 

Snow started swirling as the wind picked up but the ‘mon was pretty easy to see still. And they were out in the open. Directing him to a tree, she pulled out her phone, “Dispatch? This is Investigator Angeles, Badge number 1418, reporting a disturbance at Togepi Park. We have a Mega Glalie. It has moved in and started a blizzard. Send in Ice as backup. My partner is not equipped for this.”   
When she was off, she slid down with Tim and Em and he asked, “They don’t migrate, right?” 

“Not to my knowledge.” 

“Togepi?” Alison only nodded. They could at least get the six babies to safety across the park while they waited for backup. 

“Some date.” 

“And I thought this was just a work call you needed help with.”


	27. Day 27: Can you wait for me?

Ties always felt like they were strangling him even after years of wearing them at Whimsmore. There he could get away with loosening them up so they weren’t so damn tight. Not with a full suit. He would just look messy and he already felt out of place walking up to the estate house that, very possibly, sat on a plot of land bigger than Leaventown. 

Wouldn’t have been so bad if his better half were with him but she texted that she got held up and would meet him there and not to worry. Sure. Not worry. His dad’s little beat to hell sedan sure blended well with the black and silver sports cars that lined the driveway. For miles. Felt like miles. That was only the beginning of how out of place he was. But he bit down and walked up the driveway, through the palatial garden right up to the security guard at the door. 

“Name?” The guard asked half heartedly after an obvious glance up and down and fingering his radio. 

“Guest of Alison Angeles.” _His_ name wouldn’t be on the list. Hers, well, he assumed would be. 

“Oh,” the genuine shock stung and his Pangoro partner stood at ease again. He got waved in and the torment would continue, just in a different way than being turned away. 

He literally had no idea why he was here. Nothing about the event or why he had to wear the best suit he had. Nada. 

The grand foyer alone made him feel so tiny and insignificant. Then as he followed the people trickling into a great room off the foyer, apparently the gallery as he’d overheard, he had a sinking feeling. Crystal chandeliers hung high above him, casting soft light in the room to play off light from wall sconces around the room. A mixture of light and shadows that sunk deep into the dark panels of wood lining the walls. The wide French style doors meant he could try to make a casual escape if things went south. Based on the way people were already staring at him, he might just go hide in the garden until Alison did show. 

Then his phone buzzed. 

_Alison: I’m so so sorry.   
_

_Alison: Can you wait for me? I should be there soon.  
_

_Tim: Of course.   
_

Well, he would get to play the waiting game all alone. No one stopped to mingle with him. They avoided him, skirted around him. But looking around he noticed that few Pokemon were here. A Liepard raised its head at him. Staring right into his soul as it swished its tail around. A few small Lillipups yapped from their partner’s purses, more of accessories than anything else. A fluffy Minccinno scuttled around feet taking up post on the piano in the corner. It was going to be a long night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

This was dumb. It was the stupidest idea ever. Ever ever! Why did she let Lei rope her into this? Even if it was his birthday. Every single time she came to one of his or the other guys official functions it ended up a mess. Not bar fight mess but still. 

“Stop fidgeting. I’m almost done with your hair.” Lei pinned some curls up as if it were going to make any difference. 

“I told you I would make you dinner. _That_ is your birthday gift,” she couldn’t help but whine now. She really just wanted to grab Tim and leave. It was entirely possible that over the years as Lei’s friend she had pissed off several of his female friends that may or may not have only hung around him to try to get in good with his family. “Why am I even here?” 

“Has he ever seen you in a dress?” 

“What does that have to do with anything?” Meaning, no. No, he had not. Finally, he turned the mirror around so she could see his handy work. “Really? That’s too much make up!” 

“I thought you wore make up for work.” 

“Sometimes. And much different.” Little paws furiously swiped behind her, batting and hitting and soon there would be claws. “What are you doing to Em, Yu?” 

Lei grabbed her chin so she couldn’t turn to protest even more. “She’s fine. And,” Lei added sweetly with that damn grin that made all the other girls swoon, “this is also a birthday gift.” 

Swatting away his hands Alison huffed. “Fine. Fine. Let’s go get this stupid party over with.” 

He’d brought Em over, “Will she sit on your shoulder?” She could have argued. Could have left. Instead she nodded. 

Waiting until Yu and Lei were out of earshot she said, “You’re really soft. What did they do to your fur?” 

Building her courage, Alison made sure Em was stable on her shoulder. Wiping out on the stairs would just add injury to insult. The ones that were on their way once she got down the stairs. 

She never wore heals and her feet reminded her with every step. She wouldn’t have to make it far, down the stairs in the Grand Foyer and just across through the doors into the Gallery and she could sit. If she could make sure the dress didn’t ride up too far. 

Light murmurs followed her down the stairs. Lei and Yu were somewhere in the throng of people. Tim, though, was the one she was looking for and couldn’t find. Each step brought her closer to the insults she could already see forming in the petty childhood friends that recognized her. Every ‘street Rattata’ or ‘Diglett should go back to sleeping in the dirt’ slur they used to humiliate her. Push her away from Lei. She’d never told him about all those times, just buried it deep within herself.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tim couldn’t tell if Lei was serious. It was a sweet idea, would be cute. Eyes turned toward the staircase in the foyer as another guest was entering. She kind of reminded him of Alison. Silky skin, strong legs shown off by a beautiful floral pale pink dress. Ok, that was not the kind of thing his girlfriend would wear. But her auburn curls caused a pang. He missed her being with him. 

And the Emolga. 

Glass shattered sending shards across the marble floor. 

He heard the murmurs start back up. Nothing distinct. Alison had locked eyes with him, trying hard to tug the dress down further. A butler or server or whoever was trying to move Tim out of the way to clean up the broken water glass. 

Stopping in front of him Tim realized he was frozen. Just staring like a Deerling in headlights. 

“Hey.” She broke his reverie when he really didn’t stop staring. “Sorry I’m late.” 

Like it had been jump started, his mind started working again. He was fairly sure if he tried to form any words they would…just sound idiotic. The only thing he could think was what Lei had said. 

Taking her her hand in his, he swept it up just high enough to brush a kiss along her knuckles. She’d never once turned so bright red in all the months he’d known her as her smile faltered.

Everything in the room stopped. Except Lei, who laughed behind his phone, “Best birthday gift ever!”


	28. Day 28: Enough! I heard enough!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe the month is almost done and then it is right into Nanowrimo. Only two more left (because one day I used two prompts) so enjoy!  
Note: Strong Language

The Roundhouse was packed. Typical Friday night battles but with the League on break more people showed up and Sebastian always raked it in. Seb, who stood to make a killing, didn’t seem to be in his normal perch playing the dj or announcing. This was an early fight, a prelim as it were, and he wasn’t always as enthusiastic early in the night. Not until he started really reaping the benefits of his little establishment for the evening would he be really working the crowd but he was usually around just to be seen. 

Ali had business with him. And Tim, well, he worried about her more than he needed to so he tagged along. She knew he really liked to watch the battles, illegal or not. 

They walked the perimeter once then just watched the next battle back by his platform. Eventually he would show up. He always did. Meanwhile, they could watch amateur hour. Like, who in their right mind, has a Poliwhirl and goes up against a Servine? Did the man know nothing about the types? Did he inherit a Poliwhirl because tactics like that he couldn’t have been the one to get him to evolve. 

Her ribs thrummed with the music but something…something was just starting to rise over Seb’s newest mix. 

“Do you hear that?” she shouted at Tim. 

“No? But I see some getting K.O.’d.” 

“I told you, amateurs.” She’d definitely heard something. They had a couple minutes until the next battle started while the next contestants warmed up, were announced and betting opened so she made another slow circuit pausing just in the archway closest to his ‘office’. 

“Enough! I heard enough!” 

Behind them. Whoever was yelling it was coming from the hallway out to the back dumpsters. A flutter of fur, and not a partner’s fur as far as she could tell but Seb’s newest coat. Alone. No Charizard or friends as backup. 

“Ugh,” she waved at Tim to stay put and sent Em in ahead of her so she had time to dump the hoodie and throw on at least her bandanas. Sidling up to Sebastian she wrapped him in a hug. “Seb? What the hell? Where you been?” 

“Move along little grunt!” Ah, Team Rocket grunt. With their dumb hats and questionable fashion with the emblazoned ‘R’ logo. “This doesn’t involve inept little grunts from pathetic teams like Skull.” 

Snickering, Alison slid her hand along Seb’s coat looking for a ball. Where the fuck was Charizard? “But it involves my friend? Think you can walk into a designated neutral zone and try to…what…shake Seb down because Rocket is so fucking high and mighty?” 

Tim had crept behind her, not exactly anxious to get in the middle of what was brewing. “Al, this might not,” he cut himself off when she wheeled on him, “right.”

Still no pokeball. Did the little Rocket wannabe grunt have it? Another hand clamped onto her shoulder, “What? Want to go?”

Throwing him off her, “Not like a pissant like you could even beat a kid catching bugs on a route so,” she said while trying to lead Sebastian away. 

“I think I smell a battle.” The guy stood at least eight inches taller than her and had to bend to look her in the eye. 

“Al,” Tim added with warning but she didn’t care. 

“Bring it!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Does he have Char?” Snapping Sebastian out of his dark hole wasn’t working. She shook Seb again and repeated, “Does he have Charizard, Seb?” 

“Y-yeah.” 

“Why?”

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll beat him and get Char back. Hey!” She broke down and actually slapped Seb across the face. “I’ll get him back.” 

“Al!” Tim grabbed her shoulders, turning her to the board. 

“What?” 

‘New Contenders’ flashed on the screen followed by ‘Houndour and Mightyena vs Emolga’. 

But she had more important things to worry about as Rocket’s little, pathetic grunt threw out his Pokemon from their balls. “Hey! I want that pokeball that doesn’t belong to you when I win!” 

Cocky little son of a bitch actually cocked his head at her when he responded, 

“Oh, this?” 

“Al?” 

Booming over the music, the announced added, “Two verus one, let’s get this slaughter going!” 

She felt Tim still tapping her shoulder and brushed him off to let Em into the arena. “It’ll be fine.” 

“He has two Pokemon out and Em’s not been training with you that long.” 

“She’ll be fine.” Her voice carried over the crowd, “You know what to do girl!” Both their fingers laced through the fence, together. He trusted her, even if he was dying to give some advice, Tim thought better of it and wrapped an arm around her waist instead. 

A bullhorn went off and Em leapt up to the fence. Team Rocket, across the cage, was shouting orders at his Pokemon. As if he really stood a chance. Em waited several beats, the crowd’s roar rising in pitch and furiosity. She was right near them and Alison knew to listen for Em’s little chitter while both Houndour and Mightyena growled her way. She was too quick for them, bursting off the fence Em charged herself up. As she glided over them they tried to Bite her, or Crunch but neither could get high enough off the ground to touch her and that was the only chance they got. Wild charge. 

Alison backed herself and Tim away from the fence before they got shocked, the light though still blinded or made everyone see stars. For a few unsure seconds the crowd didn’t know what to do until their vision started returning. 

“Got anyone else you want to send out? Or can I take that pokeball yet?”


	29. Day 29: I'm doing this for you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this one ended up way longer than I expected but I wanted to include all of it because I thought it was such a cute idea.   
No warnings today, just kind of cute fluffiness.

“I’ve seen you here before.” Tim jumped. He’d been casually scrolling through his phone, waiting at the counter for Ludicolo. Alison was working late, or something, and almost out of coffee so he’d thought the sweet thing to do was get her a new bag and he could smell a new roast or blend or whatever from Hi Hat on his way home that morning. Great idea until he’d forgotten Hi Hat had a poetry night and was packed. 

“Whoa. Hi.” 

“Usually you’re with a girl.” He felt his personal bubble being invaded. 

“Yes,” Tim took his time answering, “with my girlfriend.”   
His first good look at the girl talking to him made it hard to hide his true feelings. She was probably rather pretty under the dirt streaking her face and if she’d believed in deodorant. Or general hygiene. 

People pushed past him. Jostling him into the bar again which was as far from this woman as he could get. 

“Well, what she doesn’t know can’t hurt her.” 

His dad’s call saved him at the same time Ludicolo returned with his bag of coffee. “Dad! What’s up? Keep the change.” He swapped the bag for cash and backed out of the shop as fast as possible. 

“I need you to pick something up for me.”

“Sure,” he said spinning around to make sure mystery woman wasn’t following him like some kind of creep. He could just drop off the coffee and run back out. 

“What is it?” 

“Come grab the car keys.” 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Driving in the city was actually terrible. One of the few things he actually missed from Leaventown. He would have taken the subway but Harry insisted, vehemently, he would need the car. But he was going all the way into downtown on a Saturday night. Why his dad needed him to go to the Ryme City Library was a complete mystery. Surely at 9:30 at night it was closed. 

Parking was an absolute nightmare too. The closest he could even get was two blocks away at a garage on the top floor. He jogged all the way back the two blocks to the library just to see the closed sign. Just like he’d predicted. 

He was about to call his dad when a little woman, maybe close to his Gram’s age, came up to the door. 

“Can I help you?” 

He really didn’t want to inconvenience the woman who had to be trying to close the library and leave for the night. 

“I’m sure it can wait. I was just here to pick something up for Detective Goodman. Sorry to bother you.” 

“Oh, no. No bother at all. Come on in.” 

Tim was starting to realize as he walked through the darkened library, past black aisles filled with books high into the ceiling, that he should have asked his dad what the hell he was picking up. 

“Are you new?” 

“New?” 

“Helping the detective at the office and such? You’re such a young man to be…”

“I’m his son.” 

“Oh!” No one believed him, not at first glance anyways. Pictures of him with his dad didn’t help. “Tim! He’s mentioned you.” 

The aisles gave way to a staircase in the middle of the labyrinthian libray, splitting on the way up to a second floor that expanded out in front of him with an even wider array of aisles of books and tables and study rooms all of which was coated in darkness and empty. She’d been making small talk but most of it fell on deaf ears while he looked around for what was making him anxious. He felt something watching him. Or he was absorbing his father’s and girlfriend’s paranoia.

“W-what am I here to get, exactly?” 

The librarian, whom he realized he had no idea what her name was, just chuckled and turned toward another dark corner stopping short at a study table that was not empty. 

A short snort reverberated from Alison’s nose and caused the sleeping Emolga next to her to twitch spastically. A cart sat at the end of the table where the woman had gathered the books she’d been reading. 

“I’ll just meet you downstairs.” 

“Thank you.” He chuckled. He could see the small puddle of drool on the table under her chin. “Wait.” Tim carried Emolga to the cart. She stirred a little but curled right back up into the pile of books. 

He waited until she was down the aisle before trying to rouse Alison. Shaking her shoulders didn’t work. Poking. Talking to her. She’d stir and turn over again while mumbling but otherwise nothing. 

He was beginning to worry when the librarian called back, far louder than he’d ever heard anyone in a library speak ever, “Detective Goodman always needs to carry her down.” That would by why he needed the car. 

As if responding to a dream she finally said, “Why are you here?” as she pushed him away. Maybe she thought he was one of the Investigators she worked with as if she was still at work. 

“_I’m_ doing this for you.” He knew she wasn’t awake. Her eyes were still closed and she had yet to fake being asleep. Plus she’d let out another rumbly snore. “These poor librarians want to go home you crazy little grease Mankey.” With a resigned sigh Tim lifted her onto his back, draping her arms over his shoulders and holding her knees. It was awkward, he had to keep forward since she wasn’t holding his neck, so she didn’t slide down. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The librarian, Stella as he learned, had been under strict instructions for years to call Detective Goodman if Alison fell asleep at the library. 

“She hasn’t been here for such a long time. I was worried she’d moved away, the little dear.” 

Stella waited patiently for him run down to get his car and park right at the doors so they could get Emolga and Alison inside and all of her books. Then after the silent drive back, nearing 11pm, he decided she could just have his bed and he could just make do with the couch for a night since he still had to haul her up three flights of stairs no matter what but he didn’t have the stamina to do that and get himself all the way back home with his dad’s car. By the time he was unstrapping Emolga from the car she’d woken and, thankfully, walked up to their apartment without his help. Unlike Alison who was still dead to the world, snoring and drooling ever so slightly. 

He finally dropped her in his bed, amazed she’d stayed asleep the entire time. 

“So, you make it a habit to fall asleep at the library?” He talked softly while he slipped her shoes off and tucked her under a spare blanket. “It was actually pretty cute.” Gently he pulled the hair ties from the ends of her braids. Running his fingers through her hair he just watched her slow breaths. The way she clutched at the pillow in her sleep, balling it under her head. He’d fallen asleep with her on her couch many times in their two months together, but not until he’d watched her peacefully doze on his chest for countless hours now. He never wanted to leave her. Sometimes he didn’t. He’d fall asleep with her in his arms at an unfortunate angle and have muscle spasms the next day but it was worth it every single time. It was so hard to leave her side. But he’d made an agreement with his dad not to sleep in the same room with her in his apartment. 

With one last touch of his lips on her forehead he whispered, “I love you,” before he even knew what he’d said. “Oh my god.” His brain had caught up to his traitorous mouth. “I’m so glad you’re not awake right now. That-that was…wow. Ok, goodnight.” 

His dad had an extra pillow and probably another blanket he could use on the couch. 

“Dad, I think we should just keep…” Harry Goodman sat slumped at his desk, having finally run out of caffeine to fuel him. Asleep. Snoring. Like a freaking mirror image of what he’d just put to bed. Emolga and Pikachu chatted on the couch, or made a show of it at least. It looked like Pikachu was telling some story. “Seriously?”

“Pika! Pika pika pi! Pikachu!” At that Emolga danced happily. 

Tim dropped the takeout next to his father’s head between the Pokemon, “Don’t leave him any scraps. I’m sleeping in his bed.”


	30. Day 30: Scared, me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween! It’s the end of fictober and I wrote about the scariest thing possible....emotions! Just something that stuck with me I saw the prompt. On to Nanowrimo next!

They’d missed having dinner all week. Life had been conspiring to keep them apart as their cases took them to opposite sides of the city or required them working at all hours and there was just nothing to be done except wait. Finally, they’d both closed their cases and got a much needed break and then Lieutenant Yoshida was there in his dad’s apartment. 

“She’s been doing so well. No incidents with the other investigators, not like she used to. I mean, I understand why she’s not a fan of the new investigators, there’s a lot of baggage associated with where Brockton’s team sat.” Tim could just over hear them from his doorway. 

“Did you suspend her?”

“No, told her to take an extra day off. She should still be recovering anyways. Maybe it’s that.” 

“You know it’s not that.” Harry sighed then Pikachu echoed him. “We’re getting close to that time of year. Things are actually going great in her life. She always tries to sabotage that. She’ll figure it out. I know she will.” 

Tim knocked twice before opening her apartment door. “What use is a lock if you don’t use it?” 

“I knew you were coming over,” she shrugged stirring a simmering sauce. The week had taken a toll on her. She looked like she’d barely slept and had had a perpetual scowl on her face all week. Em, instead of being up on her perch above the television, was watching a rerun of a League match from the previous weekend while commentators made their predictions for this weekend’s matchups. 

Laying gentle hands on her shoulders, Tim ran them down her sides, matching the natural way she swayed while she cooked. Twisting her hair together he threw it over her shoulder, clearing a bare patch of skin to kiss. “Yoshida stopped by.” Her shoulders tensed and the swaying stopped. 

“Don’t.” 

“Don’t what?” 

“I don’t need a lecture about playing nice with the other officers. Or to stop being a bitch or whatever.” 

“I wasn’t,” Tim started but she flipped off the burner to wheel on him.   
The lines of the scowl she’d been wearing all week deepening. “Sure. You weren’t coming here to fix…” 

“I’m…I just want to know…” He’d known enough of it when they first met. He still felt the way people had tried to pressure him to talk about his mom and how the loss made him feel and it just went on and on. How he didn’t go out on a journey or even take a partner or how his dad left or how he didn’t try to take some better job or go to university. The list literally felt endless. So he didn’t press, didn’t even ask, he let her offer whatever she wanted. Every night they were together the television may have been on in the background but they fell into easy conversation, Alison battering him with questions that he gladly answered. But the more he thought about it, he only had snippets of information he’d gathered about her from what they did together or when his dad offered up stories or when she was drunk and spilled her guts. 

“Yeah, sure Tim.” Em knew when to not get in the middle and shut down the television before hiding up on her perch on the entertainment stand. Alison’s voice rose, “Why? Why do you want to know?”

Following her lead, he wasn’t meaning yell but it just came out, “Because my dad made it pretty clear that you try to sabotage things when they are going good in your life and I, for one, would like to think that this is something that is great and don’t want you to sabotage it just because...what...are you scared?”

“Scared, me? Are you kidding?” 

“Kidding?” A question he’d been asked many times in his life. Generally he left this retort for sarcastic use, “I used to work in insurance. I didn’t kid very much.” 

She weighed what he was saying to the intensity in his eye, “Yeah ok, I’m scared! Ok?” She started pacing which didn’t seem to help as her emotions got too big for her, “I’m scared to get close to anyone. Anyone! That includes your dad. And it’s not because they walk out on me. It’s because they stab me in the back.” That could be literal or figurative but his mind wandered to the lines and bumps along her torso, her back. Things he’d assumed happened at work now made his stomach twist. 

“What?”

“Every person in my life had done, god, unspeakable shit, ok? And it always happens when things are going great, or have stabilized or whatever.” Alison gulped down breath after breath to try to force tears back. “I don’t feel like getting stabbed again, or cut to pieces or,” a single sob escaped before she could stop it, “and the second I unload all this crap that I have lived with on someone what are they going to do, Tim?”

He tried to close the distance so he could hold her, let her breath and relax but she retreated the same distance he was trying to close. “We all have baggage. And I’m not running. I have told you more about me than I have told...anyone. I just want to be there for you. Do the same for you.” 

She didn’t believe him. Why should she? He never did when people said the same thing to him. “Everyone runs.” 

“Why even go out with me in the first place if you thought you were just going ruin it?”

“Because I’m an idiot! Because I thought maybe I wouldn’t ruin it which brings me back to being an idiot! Because...I don’t want to say no to you. Because I care about you.” 

“Because...maybe we’re better together?” He’d inched closer.

“Maybe.”

She let him pull her into him. Standing together in the silence, not even her nosy neighbor making her inappropriate commentary. Alison clutched at him. Even if a weight had finally lifted there were still more dragging her down. 

“Dad said you’re always like this around this time of year.” 

“Yeah.” There was no question. He didn’t want to push it already feeling guilty. She let the quiet settle over them. Not uncomfortable, just there. “It’s my birthday.” 

“I don’t have a gift for you.” 

“Just don’t tell your dad. I don’t want another birthday dinner.” 

“Deal.” 

Her dinner was already on hold and could wait another few minutes. Em felt the tide shift, her tail whipping happily against the wall trying to distract him. Tim scrolled on his phone for a second before setting it on the counter.

“What are you doing?” 

“The only gift I can give you.” 

“You hate dancing.” 

“I do.” Tim held her close. They barely swayed in time to the song he’d found but it was enough. More than enough. “Why do you hate your birthday?” 

“Makes me think of…my hometown, being back in Kanto Region. Of…Cu.”


End file.
